D.T. Fleming Arboretum

2007 Grants

Kaulunani Awards FOFA $7,877.00 for Tree Out-Planting & Identification

Kaulunani, the Division of State Forestry, awarded Friends of the D.T. Fleming Arboretum (FOFA) a $7,877.00 grant for a native Hawaiian tree out planting project and irrigation and tree label upgrade at the D.T. Fleming Arboretum at Pu`u Mahoe. Kaulunani’s grant award will help FOFA purchase and plant increased numbers of existing and additional native dry land tree species into the D.T. Fleming Arboretum.

Committed to the educating the public about the important role native Hawaiian trees play in the health of Hawai`i’s environment, FOFA will offer free instruction at the D.T. Fleming Arboretum on how to plant and care for native Hawaiian plants. Instruction will be offered by certified arborist Tai Kanoa Domen every Tuesday in June and July from 10:00 - 3:00 pm.

Owner of Alihilani Arborcare, LLC, Tai Kanoa Domen abides by the planting standards of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The D.T. Fleming Arboretum is Hawai`i’s oldest and largest native plant arboretum dedicated to the perpetuation of Maui’s native dry land forest species. Protected within the southern slope of the Pu'u Mahoe cinder cone on Haleakala, this unique biological preserve was founded in the 1950's by Maui agricultural and horticultural pioneer, D.T. Fleming. Fleming’s dream was to plant an arboretum to help save Maui’s endangered native dry land tree plant species.

Throughout D.T. Fleming’s life on Maui, he witnessed the dry land forest of Auwahi going extinct due to cattle and drought. Protected from the northeast and southerly winds, Fleming chose Pu'u Mahoe's cinder cone as a perfect place to preserve these species at the 2,600- foot elevation on the edge of the Auwahi Forest. Today, of the 245 trees and 92 species planted in the arboretum, 19 are endangered Hawaiian tree species, 4 are species of concern, and 3 are candidates.

The D.T. Fleming Arboretum includes the last seed-producing survivor of Maui’s endangered Alani tree, Melicope knudsenii. The D.T. Fleming Arboretum is a valuable seed bank. The arboretum’s Auwahi forest collection provides plants and seeds necessary to revitalize Auwahi and the surrounding slopes of south Maui. FOFA is involved in several ongoing projects to restore native dry land forest habitats on Maui and throughout Hawai`i.

One of FOFA’s most successful public / private partnerships is the reforestation project of the Auwahi area located on the southwest face of Haleakala. In 2002, The Friends of the D.T. Fleming Arboretum was formed to support the arboretum's important work. FOFA’s mission is to preserve native Hawaiian plants through protection, propagation and distribution while providing education about native plants, their propagation and care through public workshops and tours. For more information or to join in on this exciting learning experience, call 572-1097.