A curious White Tern hovers to get a better look. (Photo by Angela Liu)
Aloha Arborist Association is happy to announce our successful application for funding of a new project, “Tree Care Guidelines & BMPs for Manu-o-Kū Nesting Sites.” We will be working with the City and County of Honolulu Division of Urban Forestry, DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hui Manu-o-Kū, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to develop guidelines for working near nest sites of manu-o-Kū, or White Terns.
Manu-o-Kū (Gygis alba), is one of the few protected native bird species to inhabit urban areas on Oahu. In 1961, a breeding pair was observed nesting in Honolulu for the first time. Since then, the species adopted Honolulu neighborhoods as their home. Manu-o-Kū was named Honolulu’s official bird in 2007, and there are now nearly 1,400 nesting sites in nearly 1,000 trees in the densest parts of Oahu.
Our landscaping and tree trimming community has had to adapt to the increasingly common presence of manu-o-Kū in Honolulu trees. The aim of this project is to fill in the gaps and inconsistencies in how we work around manu-o-Kū nesting sites, spread the word on best practices, help our professionals in the field get their work done smoothly, and protect the manu-o-Kū.
We’re looking to working with the arboriculture and landscaping community, so stay tuned for details about upcoming meetings and opportunities to participate. If you have any questions or comments at this time, or would like to be added to the email list for this project, please drop us a line at info@alohaarborist.com, or call (808) 518-6141.
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Thanks to:
The Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife; and State and Private Forestry, branch of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Region 5 • City and County of Honolulu for providing printing • All our project partners for their participation.
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