Getting Trees in the Ground

In honor of Arbor Day, Andy Kaufman (TPSS) assisted a class of first- and second-graders to plant a hala tree on the UH campus. The students have been studying about trees and plants in Hawai‘i, and Andy was asked to talk about to properly plant trees: preparing the roots, digging and amending the soil in the planting hole, and how to care for trees after planting. Then, in honor of ‘Ohi‘a Lehua Day, Andy assisted a class of third- and fourth-graders to plant ‘ohi‘a trees on the Mid-Pacific campus. The students have been studying Native Hawaiian ecosystems and Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death on the Big Island. They talked about what they have learned about ‘ohi‘a and its surrounding habitats, and they performed Hawaiian blessings for the new trees, while Andy showed them how to properly plant and care for the trees.