Lessons from AAA’s Kaulunani Project

Manu-o-Kū, or White Terns, are protected by law and beloved by Oʻahu’s communities. They lay eggs on bare tree branches, and tree workers are encountering them in ever greater numbers in the Honolulu area. Before this project, different tree services had different approaches to work near manu-o-Kū. It turned out that public agencies also didn’t always have the most up-to-date information.  DLNR’s Kaulunani Program, part of DOFAW, provided funding that helped a group of professionals from different disciplines to get connected, work together, and lay the groundwork for a unified approach. It’s really just a beginning – below are steps that this partnership is excited to promote. 

All Tree Care Professionals Should Get the Training

The best way to find out quickly about how to properly work near manu-o-Kū is to attend the introductory training, a 1.5 to 2.0 hour field session. The expert wildlife and arborist instructors will walk you through all the basics:

• Manu-o-Kū biology and breeding,
• Legal requirements,
• How use the online data to locate breeding sites in your job area, and other job planning,
• Behavior-defined breeding site buffer zones (the manu-o-Kū’s behavior defines the tree worker’s behavior),
• How to tell when a chick will fledge,
• Debunking old myths and out-of-date tree care practices related to manu-o-Kū,
• Emergency procedures, and rescue of chicks and injured adults, and
• Other best practices

AAA and wildlife partners will continue to schedule training events to help industry professionals. Email AAA for more information at info@alohaarborist.com.

Read the Guidelines

CLICK HERE to download the Guidelines. Use it as a reference guide to look up details about best practices, check on manu-o-Kū facts, and find important phone numbers.

Practice Inspecting Trees for Chicks and Incubating Adults

It takes time to get good at finding White Tern breeding sites. Eggs are small, and chicks often are very still, so they’re are hard to find. Don’t rush when starting work in an area where manu-o-Kū might be breeding.  The Trained Professional on the job site, and the tree worker in the canopy, both should take enough time carefully examining the trees in which they will work to satisfy themselves that they haven’t overlooked any chicks, incubating adults or unattended eggs.  Also, send information of new sightings to Hui Manu-o-Kū using their mobile tool (next section).

Use the Manu-o-Kū Breeding Map Online or Via the Mobile Tool

Manu-o-Kū breeding activity can be hard to detect. Good news – Hui manu-o-Kū has been putting information on breeding sites online. Click Here to get directions on how to use your mobile device to check whether trees on your job site are listed, and find photos of the branches where the breeding is located. We also need your help – if breeding sites are found in trees not listed by the Hui, follow the directions to add new trees to the database. This will help the Hui track population changes, and help our communities do a better job protecting manu-o-Kū.

Behavior-Defined Buffer Zones – The Tree Professional Must Be a True Professional

Working together, wildlife agencies and AAA determined that tree care work can be done while there is breeding activity in a tree – as long as s/he is trained and can carry out the guidelines and best practices while working near chicks, incubating adults and unattended eggs. Behavior-defined buffer zones involves learning to read individual manu-o-Kū behavior, employing non-threatening behavior, and other specific practices that make it possible to enter a tree with breeding activity. Email AAA at info@alohaarborist.com to put your name on the list for trainings.

Working Together Helps Our Communities Move Forward Together

The best lesson may not be spelled out in the Guidelines. It is that AAA, wildlife agencies, public agencies, wildlife groups, and arborists and tree workers were able to work together to come to agreement on the guidelines and best practices. We did so when it seemed in the past that the goal was out of reach.

If we continue to reach out to each other when there are questions or problems, we as individuals, as businesses and as public stewards can continue to benefit each other and our communities.

This is how to reach some of the partners of this project: