Nate’s Adventures: Native tree planting in Pia Valley
By Nate Yuen, Chapter Outings Chair | Reading Time: 1.5 minutes
I have been helping to plant baby trees in Pia Valley—the small valley in East Honolulu on the west side of Niu Valley, bounded by Hawaiʻi Loa Ridge and Kūlepeamoa Ridge.
The restoration site is owned by Tyrone Montayre and his non-profit “Protect & Preserve Hawaiʻi”. Tyrone purchased the conservation land and started restoring the native forest in Pia Valley in 2020.
Tyrone Montayre, owner of the conservation land being restored
Much of the restoration area is over-run with invasive grasses and shrubs like haole koa. Further up the valley is a forest of strawberry guava trees which proliferates like crazy. The restoration work involves removing invasive species, putting plastic tarp over the cleared area, and planting baby trees.
The effort has the support of the Koʻolau Mountains Watershed Partnership, Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Livable Hawaiʻi Kai Hui, Mālama Maunalua, and other community groups. Most of the plants have been donated by Hui Kū Maoli Ola – the Native Hawaiian plant nursery. Seeds have also been collected from Pia Valley for germination in the green house and out-planting at the restoration site.
So far 793 native plants have been planted at the restoration site: kou, koa, wiliwili, pōhinahina, alaheʻe, ʻilieʻe, ʻilima, naiʻō, kolomona, maʻo and other native dry forest plants.
There is a work day every 2nd Saturday of the month. Wear a mask and join the crew at the end of Anolani Street at 8am. Click here to register to participate and learn more.
See more from the recent work day below:
Nate Yuen is an artist/photographer/naturalist whose body of work is a confluence of hiking, conservation, and fine art photography. Each weekend you can find him hiking, backpacking, or kayaking to out-of-the-way locations to photograph Hawai‘i’s native plants and animals, many of which are rare or endangered. His goal is to showcase these biological treasures to give you a reason to protect them for future generations. You can view his art and read about his adventures at hawaiianforest.com.