North Shore NewsBy Chad Middleton, Grants and Evaluation Manager
One thing that is great about our North Shore community is the ability to pivot from one existential crisis to another. While the pandemic has disrupted our lives and the economy, the slow moving climate crisis has not gone away. A recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated “there is no going back from some changes in the climate system. However, some changes could be slowed and others could be stopped by limiting warming.” (Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC ) Carbon offsets are a practical and effective way to address climate change and encourage the growth of native forests. By planting a tree you can counteract your personal carbon emissions—your “carbon footprint”—while contributing to a more sustainable future.
Each year the Waimea Valley Conservation Program plans to reforest one to five acres of mauka land with 400 native trees and 1280 native shrubs per acre. The current ten year Forest Stewardship Plan proposes activities through 2026. The next ten year plan will allow Waimea to evaluate successes and challenges and look to the future, implementing strategies that make the greatest environmental impact. While scientists debate quantification of the effects of planting a tree, reforestation benefits include carbon sequestration, fresh water capture, and wildlife habitat creation. The trees also help us to preserve and perpetuate native Hawaiian plant communities in Waimea Valley, forest carbon capture includes carbon stored in soils, shrubs, and ground cover species. Climate change, along with the changes in Hawaii’s plant communities, threatens native habitats with increasing pressures from invasive species and annual rainfall and temperature variability
If you would like to join us to plant trees on Kalahe‘e Ridge located above Waimea Valley please sign up for a volunteer Hui Hanai Aina day. This will require an intermediate level, 45-minute hike up and down the ridge, and a full day of tree planting; 9 am to 3 pm. Planting days are on specific days and we don’t plant often in the dry summer months. More information and an email link to make a reservation can be found on our website Volunteer page. An email reservation request to our volunteer coordinator will secure your spot for the six hour ‘ecoxperience. Shorter volunteer events can also be scheduled in the lower valley including child friendly ohana volunteer day activities.
While the price of your climate footprint is a personal choice, making a contribution in your local community has ripple effects. The dedicated staff at Waimea Valley have good jobs in conservation and culture based land stewardship with Waimea’s non-profit management company. The efforts of reforestation include collecting seeds from the forest, propagating seedlings in our nursery, clearing the site and removing invasive species, installing a fence to prevent ungulates from uprooting the plants, planting trees, and visiting the planting sites to weed around the trees for the first three years of growth. You can donate to plant a conservation tree through the Waimea Valley website or donate to Waimea Valley at any Foodland or Sack and Save location in the month of September and your donation will be partly matched by the Give Aloha campaign. Waimea Valley donation number 78621. Haleiwa