Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022 | Today's Paper | 81.797°

The Gumbo Limbo tree with its shiny red bark will grow from sea level to 2,000 feet in elevation and although popular throughout the Caribbean is rare in Hawaii. (Voltaire Moise/Special to West Hawaii Today)

The gumbo limbo, Bursera simaruba, also called the naked Indian tree in the Caribbean is hard to miss because of its reddish shiny bark. It is also referred to as the living fencepost tree since a cutting of almost any size will grow easily. It is often used as fence posts by farmers and ranchers in tropical America because it continues to grow and is resistant to termites and decay.

The gumbo limbo, Bursera simaruba, also called the naked Indian tree in the Caribbean is hard to miss because of its reddish shiny bark. It is also referred to as the living fencepost tree since a cutting of almost any size will grow easily. It is often used as fence posts by farmers and ranchers in tropical America because it continues to grow and is resistant to termites and decay.

Sometimes it is referred to as the tourist tree because its reddish trunk peels like a sunburned tourist. The gumbo limbo is used as a landscape tree in South Florida because it is easy to propagate. Even cuttings 10 feet tall can be quickly grown and profitable as a nursery item. It is also used as a shade tree for coffee farms in Central America.

It has many medicinal uses and has been valued by indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, Central and South America for centuries. Nurseries here do not have the tree, but there are three small trees growing in a local West Hawaii garden. If you are interested in obtaining cuttings you may email Tone at tone.yogi@gmail.com to get starts.

There are many other trees with interesting bark, especially in the ohia family that includes guava, eucalyptus, allspice and mountain apple. One example is the painted eucalyptus, Eucalyptus deglupta, sometimes called rainbow eucalyptus or camouflage tree, is a sight to behold. Thanks to Kelly Dunn and his Painted Trees of Hawaii, these beautiful trees are being protected on our island. Of more than 500 species of eucalyptus, this is the only one found growing naturally north of the equator. It is native to the rainforests of the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. It is related to ohia, so the flowers also attract our native honeycreepers.

Global warming is no longer a theory, and is being accepted as fact by most scientists and governments. This will affect our islands by causing more extremes like drought, floods and severe storms. We may not be able to do much about other parts of the world, but here at home we are either part of the solution or part of the problem. Just think — if each one of us on the Big Island plant only 10 trees this year, we will have planted more than one million trees.

Trees not only produce oxygen, they supply shade, act as windbreaks and lock up the carbon that is the main cause of global warming. Scientists have shown that approximately 25% of atmospheric carbon dioxide is sequestered by forests each year, so the more forests we plant, the more we reduce the effects of global warming.

Many of Hawaii’s forests and forest watersheds are threatened. Not much can be done to stop foreign governments from forest destruction, but we can do a lot to protect and plant forests here.

In East and West Hawaii, many ohia forest areas are suffering from the fungus disease referred to as rapid ohia death. Other forested areas are being lost to expanding urbanization. Unless the owners of the land really commit to protecting the forested lots, they are bulldozed and flattened. In West Hawaii, the same situation occurs with private lands being subdivided and cleared. One exception is the 2,000-acre Kaloko Mauka subdivision adjacent to the O’oma Forest Reserve. This is one of the most accessible native forests in West Hawaii. It, among other high elevation areas of Hawaii, is being developed for agriculture and residential activities. However, county planners are making an effort to encourage developers and landowners to protect the forest by placing requirements that the lots remain in forest. The county is also requiring a forest management plan and is allowing owners to dedicate to native forest or tree crops, thus reducing the tax burden. Information on how to apply for agriculture and conservation dedications may be obtained from the Hawaii County tax office.

Much of Kaloko Mauka is still covered with native forest and is unique cloud forest. The area abounds with ancient ohia (Meterosideros polymorpha) and gigantic tree ferns, some of which are 10 feet or more in height. These ferns may be over 100 years old since the trunks only grow 2 to 3 inches per year. The native forest contains many rare and endangered species that local residents are committed to protect. These programs allow residents to dedicate and manage their properties to enhance this important and unique watershed. They are administered through the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Forestry Division, Hawaii Island Land Trust and Moku O Keawe Land Conservancy.

Kaloko Mauka is the home of the Hawaiian hawk, apapane, iiwi, elepaio, amakihi and many other endemic and exotic birds. Kaloko Mauka has been identified as essential wildlife habitat and forest watershed. It is the goal of residents of Kaloko Mauka to set an example of living in harmony with the forest and still having homes and some “forest friendly” agriculture activities. This is essential if our island is to have the rainfall and watershed needed to supply communities at lower elevations.

The world’s tropical forests include not only trees but understory palms, bromeliads, orchids, ferns and bamboos. Many palms worldwide are endangered due to the destruction of rainforests. Fortunately, Hawaii is becoming a kind of Noah’s Ark thanks to the efforts of the Hawaii Island Palm Society, Bamboo Society, Orchid Societies, Rhododendron Society and other concerned groups.

It is vital to protect our remaining Hawaiian forests and reforest the abandoned cane lands of Hamakua, Puna, Ka‘u and Kohala with biodiverse forests, ensuring valuable resources for future generations. For further information on forest planting and management, contact UHCTAHR Extension forester J.B. Friday at (808) 959-8254 or jbfriday@hawaii.edu.