A fundraiser is underway to preserve the iconic banyan tree fronting Hulihe‘e Palace.
Nonprofit Daughters of Hawaii is attempting to raise $10,000 for a complete examination and extensive trim of the banyan tree planted at the historic site in the 1880s by Queen Kapiolani. It was one of several cuttings taken from a tree at ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu that had been gifted by Indian royalty to the queen’s husband, King Kalakaua.
Billy Duignan, owner of Shamrock Tree Service, has been taking care of the ficus benghalensis for about two decades. The large banyan, which overhangs Alii Drive, needs an entire inspection and trim.
“We have piecemeal it here and there and kept it off the road. HECO has done a good job keeping it off the wires but they don’t have any long-term plans when they cut back the branches so that’s our job to look at the tree holistically,” said Duignan.
The tree’s last extensive trim was about 25 years ago when a large piece of the banyan was removed, Duignan said, noting the work was done prior to his tenure.
“Basically, we are going to look at the whole tree and discover if there are any blaring problems. A lot of cutting has been done on the top and when you cut it created little pools. The pools hold water and it can create havoc,” he said.
Routine pruning, when done properly, increases light availability to under-story plants and allows airflow through the canopy and removes excessive weight from the trunk, limbs and root system. Removal of overgrowth, inappropriate branches and aggressive roots helps to maintain the tree’s natural shape and size, allowing the tree to be less susceptible to disease and insect attack.
Duignan said if the banyan at Hulihe‘e Palace lived in the wild, it would be five times as large as it is now.
“We have to manage it in its space,” he said.
Once funded, the trimming of the banyan tree at Hulihe‘e Palace will take four or five days, assuming there are no major issues that need to be addressed, said Sally Inkster, who has been director of the palace grounds for over 45 years.
“I would like this fundraiser to come and go rather quickly,” she said. “I’m looking at local businesses who are directly beneficiaries of this lovely tree. It is really an iconic symbol in Kailua Village.”
She noted that community members need to be prepared for the extent of the work that’ll be done to the historic tree.
“With any tree job, the initial look of the tree after it has been trimmed ‘oh my God, what have you done?’ but you have to give it four to six months before the new growth comes in and it looks really good,” she said. “This variety of tree from India, there is one that is over 1,000 years old and it’s so large that it covers seven soccer fields.”
The banyan tree fronting Hulihe‘e Palace is related to the one that overhangs Queen Kaahumanu Place at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, as well as the banyan that once stood at the popular Banyans surf spot.
“The one at the Banyan’s surf spot was trimmed incorrectly and severely and it died,” said Inkster.
She added: “we want this tree to be here for everyone to enjoy.”
Hulihe‘e Palace was built in 1838 by Gov. John Adams Kuakini and became the Kona residence of Princess Ruth before King Kalakaua revamped it for use as his summer palace. Until 1914, when it was sold, the palace was used as a royal home.
Efforts by the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co., which went on to build Kona Inn, to purchase the property in the 1920s were blocked the Daughters of Hawaii, which lobbied the Territory of Hawaii to purchase the palace. In 1925, the purchase was executed and the palace was leased to its caretakers, Daughters of Hawaii.
Restoration of the palace was finished in 1927 and several subsequent restorations, including in 1976 and 2007 following the October 2006 earthquakes, have maintained Hulihe‘e.
The Daughters of Hawaii and the Calabash Cousins are the caretakers for Hulihe‘e Palace, which is administered by the Division of State Parks. Hulihe‘e Palace was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
To donate to this fundraiser, visit DaughtersOfHawaii.org/banyan
