HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0103.035 2020-2022 d u i�
N1
105
From: Lorna Larsen-Jeyte
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2021 4:02 PM
To: Council Testimony; Kanealii-Kleinfelder, Matt; David, Maile; Kimball, Heather; Chung, Aaron;
Lee Loy, Sue; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Villegas, Rebecca; Inaba, Holeka; Richards, Tim
Subject: County arborist
Aloha our Hawai'i Island Council. My name is Lorna and I'm a long time Hawai'i island resident beginning in the 1940's and returning
in the 80's.
Over the years, I have seen the degradation of our native trees and "gifted"trees such as those on Banyan Drive. Albezia,waiwi,
ROD and more have taken their toll. In 2016 1 believe the Council approved the hiring of a licensed arborist and the tools of his trade.
But it never happened. Not sure why. Our coffers had money but the will to make it happen never materialized. How sad that is.
Today a similar Bill is before you and I implore you to please pass the Bill and subsequently follow up with the intent of the Bill. More
than ever we need to be surrounded with beauty and the legacy of our native forests and gifted trees. It would bring a lot of us
needed joy to see someone actually working on projects to save what can be saved!
Our former business, Kilauea Lodge, had several diseased Sugi pines planted originally as boundary markers. A native plant
specialist,Zach Mermel, advised cutting the trees to make room for 5 species of native trees. Two years later and the native trees
and understory are thriving in Volcano.
We should not cut down our banyans on Banyan Drive as they are part of a Legacy to the island but we need to treat them because
they are sick and being strangled with unwanted monstera. I'm willing to work on that project as are many others. But we need an
arborist to lead the way.
Please help us save our trees!
Mahalo Lorna Larsen-Jeyte
m
0
S n
3
�-- 0 0 -a
n
� Vu
H �
H
Comm. No _
Ref. To: U
Ref. Dote—MAY 1 mi