June 26, 2016
The Maui News
Sierra Club volunteers adopted a section of the Fleming Arboretum on May 21, planting 50 native seedlings of five species within the 17-acre Pu’u Mahoe cinder cone.
Sierra Club foresters will return seasonally to weed, fertilize, add new plants and apply mulch, replacing non-native plants with a complete cover of upper-, middle- and lower-story native forest.
The D.T. Fleming Arboretum in Ulupalakua offers the community groups an opportunity to “Adopt a Forest.”
The Fleming Arboretum teaches “Adopt a Forest” participants proper planting and mulching techniques. Here, Sierra Club volunteer Terez Amato demonstrates “the stick method” to gauge proper depth of planting. Terez shows that the plant hole needs to be dug deeper for soil level in a pot to match the natural ground level.
The reforestation program supports community participation in the Fleming Arboretum’s mission to preserve native Hawaiian plants, forests and wildlife habitat.
The program actively involves youth, school, church and community groups in conservation projects learning to care for native plants.