Tropical Gardening: Plant timber to scale back carbon dioxide and pollution

Earth Week officially ends this weekend, but it is a reminder that we should focus on Earth Year and even Earth Century now! A serious effort to plant trees in the decades to come can mitigate the effects of global warming.

My grandson, marine biologist Drew Mcwhirter, recently reminded me that the coral reefs and oceans are even more important in sequestering carbon and oxygenating the planet. He is in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands on a marine debris project with a team of scientists studying the ocean and the effects of humans and global warming.

To learn more, you can easily access information by doing a computer search on the Papahanaumokuakea Sea Debris Project.

Since what is happening in our oceans is not always visible, we usually focus on what we see on land every day and therefore focus on planting trees.

Most visitors to Hawaii are fascinated by the beauty and diversity of our gardens. What they may not realize is how our gardens express the many cultures and ethnicities of the Aloha state. But Hawaii’s flora is very different from when the first human first came here. Many of the plants we associate with Hawaii were introduced over the past 200 years.

Plants found in the Hawaiian Islands by the first humans were endemic, meaning they evolved here and couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world. Another group of plants were the native species, meaning that they were found here before human inhabitants, but also in other regions such as Naupaka, Kou, and Milo that grow throughout the coastal tropical Pacific. Native and endemic species are considered native.

There weren’t many food or fiber crops until the Polynesians brought what we call canoe crops. These were the first exotic, alien species, including coconut, kalo, ti, breadfruit, banana, sugar cane, kukui nut, sweet potato, noni, turmeric, and many others.

All of the flowering trees like Royal Poinciana, Rainbow Showers and African Tulip that grab our attention are relatively new. Hibiscus, bird of paradise, bougainvillea, heliconia, orchids and anthurium species grow in abundance. Then there is the fragrant plumeria, angel trumpets, puakenkene, ginger, jasmine, gardenias and much more.

Let’s also not forget the fruits and nuts such as mango, banana, papaya, avocado, lychee, macadamia, rambutan, guanabana, cherimoya, mountain apple, guava, coffee, pineapple and citrus fruits.

And, thanks to the International Palm Society, there are literally hundreds of species of palm here.

It is evident that humans and the animals and plants they brought with them had a tremendous impact on the species that evolved on the many isolated islands of Pacifica. Today, erosion is also a major problem on most of the high islands, and the rising ocean is swallowing up low atolls that have been home to islanders for thousands of years.

By making the lush vegetation here an integral part of our communities, we are actually helping to fight pollution and make life more comfortable. The vegetation that stabilizes our soils also helps minimize the amount of pollutants that enter our coastal waters and damage the precious coral reefs.

As an individual, one of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is to plant trees. There are a number of trees that can help achieve this purpose. The best include natives like the Loulu Palms, Ohia, Hala, Wiliwili, Hoawa, Alahe’e, and A’ali’i. Other plants, such as the beach and Naupaka Mountain, are attractive to many birds and also make good ornamental plants. Flowers from Ohia, Koa, Hau, Milo, and Mamane can even attract some native nectar-eating birds such as Iiwi, Amakihi, Apapane, and Elepaio.

For more information on creating and maintaining your tropical gardens, contact the University of Hawaii Master Gardeners. Call Kona at 322-4893. In Hilo, the number is 981-5199.