“Christmas trees are actually natural habitats for lots of creatures, especially during the Fall months. That dense foliage is perfect for sleeping through the winter. So a lot of insects, slugs, snails, salamandars, even snakes, snuggle up into these trees. And when the trees are cut, wrapped, and sent here to Hawaiʻi, with AC to keep them comfortable, those pests arrive in pretty good condition.”
So explained KHON2 morning guest Dan Rubinoff of the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences on the threat of invasive species from imported Christmas trees.
“Your best choice if you want a real tree is to buy local,” Dan adds. “We do the same thing with produce, let’s do it with Christmas trees. There are farms on Oʻahu that sell trees for prices comparable to mainland, so there’s really not a good reason to overlook these local vendors and support local businesses."
Watch the full news clip.