Landscape Hawaii magazine

Landscape Industry Council of Hawai’iP. O. Box 22938 Honolulu HI 96823-2938

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WOMEN WHO SHAPED HAWAII’S LANDSCAPE

MAY/JUNE 2016

HAWAII’S LANDSCAPELANDSCAPELANDSCAPE

T H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R Y

WOMEN WHO SHAPED HAWAII’S LANDSCAPELANDSCAPELANDSCAPELANDSCAPE

T H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R Y

WOMEN WHO SHAPED HAWAII’S LANDSCAPEHAWAII’S LANDSCAPELANDSCAPE

T H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R YT H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R YT H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R YT H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R YT H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R YT H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R YT H E V O I C E O F H A W A I I ’ S G R E E N I N D U S T R Y

Landscape Industry Council of Hawai’iP. O. Box 22938 Honolulu HI 96823-2938

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THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY

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DEPARTMENTS

5 LICH NEWS

11 CERTIFICATION CORNER

30 PEST COLUMN

FEATURES

6 WOMEN’S ISSUE OVERVIEW 7 LORAINE E. KUCK 8 BRENDA LAM12 SHELLI MCCELVEY

14 WENDIE MCALLASTER16 INTERVIEW: JOSHLYN SAND18 OLIVE VANSELOW

22 MAUREEN MURPHY24 SHARON PETERSON26 JILL CORYELL


Formed in June 1986, the Landscape Industry Council of Hawai‘i is a state wide alliance representing Hawaii’s landscape associations: Aloha Arborist Association, American Society of Landscape Architects Hawaii Chapter, Hawaii Association of Nurserymen, Hawaii Island Landscape Association, Hawaii Landscape and Irrigation Contractors, Hawaii Society of Urban Forestry Professionals, Kauai Landscape Industry Council, Maui Association of Landscape Professionals, Professional Grounds Management Society, Big Island Association of Nurserymen, and the Hawaii Professional Gardeners Association.

Landscape Industry Council of Hawai’iP. O. Box 22938, Honolulu HI 96823-2938

EditorsChristopher A. [email protected]

Cheryl [email protected]

Advertising SalesMichael [email protected]

MembershipJason [email protected]

DesignerDarrell Ishida

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

Garrett Webb Randy LiuPresident Vice President

Mark Suiso Rick QuinnTreasurer Secretary

Norman Allen Chris McCulloughBrandon Au Cli�ord MigitaOrville Baldos Dorothy MulkernChuck Chimera Karen OstborgCarl Evensen Edmundo ReyesJason Ezell Joshlyn SandMark Fukui Allan SchildknechtChristy Martin Allison Wright

Director EmeritusJay Deputy Boyd ReadySteve Nimz Garrett WebbLelan Nishek

Proudly self published by contents

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14

24

CERTIFICATION CORNER

WOMEN’S ISSUE OVERVIEWLORAINE E. KUCK

SHELLI MCCELVEY

WENDIE MCALLASTERINTERVIEW: JOSHLYN SANDOLIVE VANSELOW

MAUREEN MURPHYSHARON PETERSON

contentscontents

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4 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MAY | JUNE 2016

www.BeachsideLighting.com Kailua, O’ahu

(808) 263-5717

The High Traffic Pathlight Solution

Beachside L-017 �xtures in Nantucket, MA Dana Anne Yee FoundationBY DANA ANNE YEE, FASLA, ISA CA, LEED AP

Announcing! The Dana Anne Yee Foundation a 501(c)(3) corporation is here. The DAY Foun-da-tion focuses on the early stages of protection and preservation of our beau-tiful Green islands. Our grass roots foundation will provide learning gardens that will help the keiki of our islands.

Another important part of the DAY Foundation is the early detection of invasive insect pest spe-cies. Each year, invasive insect species costs Hawai‘i hundreds of millions of dollars in plant losses and can transmit infectious diseases.

Imagine our islands with no trees! Remember the devastation of our Wiliwili Trees. And most recently our ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua Trees are in jeopardy. Your heartfelt donations will help in our

I love the word synergy, “the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements.” One could argue that I am a “meeting junkie”; why else would I enjoy going to landscape board meetings? But I find that when I meet with other landscapers, a synergy occurs that helps me come away with valuable insights that support me in my professional career. When we isolate ourselves, perhaps guarding our special business secrets to protect our competitive edge, we hinder our growth as professional landscapers.

What I long to see is a culture in the Hawaii landscape scene where every landscaper sees the value of being a member of a State-wide organization. Our accomplishments could be awesome for ourselves and for our community. We need to embrace the Hawaiian concept of Lokahi, cooperation, collaboration and unity: the value of teamwork in pursuit of synergy.

BY GARRETT WEBBCOLUMNPRESIDENT’S

Photo DANA ANNE YEE

Proud Hokulani student’s on their artistic, one-of-a-kind creative stepping stones that radiate in a circular pattern to represent growth, challenge, and the future.

com-mitment to protect and preserve Ha-wai‘i’s green environment. If you would like further infor-mation about the Dana Anne Yee Foundation, please contact Dana Anne Yee at (808) 521-1049 or email [email protected].

Dana Anne Yee is President of the Dana Anne Yee, Landscape Architect, LLC.

THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY HAWAIISCAPE.COM 5

UPCOMING ISSUEMAY/JUN 2016

Theme: Women in the

Landscape IndustryStory deadline:

April 8

JUL/AUG 2016Theme:

Advances in Horticulture Technology/Lighting

Story deadline: June 3

SEPT/OCT 2016Theme:

Master Gardener’s Pro-gram/IrrigationStory deadline:

August 5

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Susan OwenManager

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48-373 G Kamehameha HwyKaneohe, Hawaii 96744

Susan OwenManager

Contact

(808) 239-1280 Office

(808) 239-2151 Fax

[email protected]

48-373 G Kamehameha HwyKaneohe, Hawaii 96744

WHATS HAPPENING

NEWSLICH

Tree Fungi in Hawaii

Reach 20,450 Landscape Professionals.

Advertise TodayContact Michael Roth:Phone (808) 595-4124

Email: [email protected]

The Western Chapter Internation-al Society of Arboriculture (WCISA) and Aloha Arborist Association (AAA) cosponsored regional conferences, Tree Fungi in Hawaii, held March 21-24, 2016, on the Islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii, were well-received with approximately 185 people attending statewide. Dr. Jessie Glaeser of the U.S. Forest Service and Dr. Janice Uchida of the University of Hawaii did a great job in presenting decay fungi and fungal diseases of trees and palms. As one participant noted, “This could have been a dry, boring topic, but Jessie and Janice both kept it entertaining.” Even long-time arborists learned a new trick or two for identifying fungi in the field as well as

an understanding of when it is necessary to seek laboratory assistance. One of the topics of most concern was Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (Ceratocystis fimbriata), also known as ‘ōhi‘a wilt. This fungal disease is spreading rapidly across the Big Island, triggering a quarantine of the movement of all ‘ōhi‘a plant parts and soil from the Big Island to the rest of the State. Over half of the State’s native forests consists of ‘ōhi‘a, a critical host for numerous endangered native species. ‘Ōhi‘a is also vital for recharging freshwater aquifers and for many Native Hawaiian cultural practices. Because of concern about this disease, the conferences drew a wide range of practitioners in addition to arborists, including environmentalists

Photo LARRY BORGATTI

Workshop participants listen attentively on Kauai.

Photo ELAINE MALINA

During the hands on session on Maui, participants mixed and mingled as they tested their identification skills with a short, self-graded quiz.

and foresters. Mahalo nui loa to our local partners, Maui Green & Beautiful, Kauai Landscape Industry Council, Hawaii Island Landscape Association, and the University of Hawaii Cooperative Ex-tension Service for making it possible to hold these workshops statewide.


BY CHRIS DACUS

I have to be honest this issue makes me feel like a coach potato. Every person in this issue is truly amaz-ing and has a ‘can do’ attitude.

Take Brenda Lam for example, she started the first all women landscape architectural planning and design firm in Hawaii. Then later started the very first woman-owned design/build firm in Hawaii. Or how about Olive Vanselow, the first female arborist in Hawaii and the first editor/publisher of this mag-azine and kept producing the magazine for ten years! No small feat as that was the days of paper cut

and paste (old school - no computers!) Or Lorraine Kuck who wrote the book “Modern Tropical Garden” with Richard Tongg that transformed tropical landscapes around the globe. Hawaii set the trend for the rest of the topical world – one reason much of the tropics look alike. I am always amazed at the people that choose to be in the landscape industry and their hobbies. I guess there’s no rest for the weary! Sharon Peterson is a perfect

example. She use to break horses (a horse trainer) then she started a plant nursery. And if that’s not enough she became the first woman licensed landscape contractor in Hawaii

and raised a couple kids along the way. And there’s amazing women like Maureen Murphy who became the first Registered Consulting Arborist by the American

Society of Consulting Arborists. And a strong competitive paddler too. Or Josh Sand the only person I know that lives in an arboretum (cool, eh) and a hu-

man Wikipedia of plant identification. Then there’s the champion of historic landscapes, Wendie McAllaster, who has worked on the most significant

historic and cultural landscapes in Hawaii for over 25 years. Lest not forget about a small office in Kailua that does big international resort projects.

Shelli McCelvy has done some of the most luxurious and lush resort landscapes in the world including the Nirvana resort in Bali, the Hyatt

in Java, and The Ritz Carlton club in Kapalua. And if that’s not enough of a busy life, she owns a safari business in Africa. I bet you will learn a lot about these heros...these pioneers...these role models.

This issue is about women who shaped the industry, and these are amazing women...amazing people. Thanks to the great writers too! I really enjoyed this issue and I hope you do too. And maybe a

little ‘can do’ magic dust will rub off on you. Go get’em tiger!

Chris Dacus is editor and publisher of Landscape Hawaii and still in awe of Olive Vanselow’s 10 years of being the editor and publisher.

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE

We cando it!

HAWAIISCAPE.COM 7THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY

BY KEN LEONHARDT

Loraine E. Kuck is a graduate of the College of Agriculture of the University of Cali-fornia, Berkeley, and had been an “amateur” gardener all her life. Years of keen

interest and study have, however, made her considerably more than an amateur on tropical flora and garden planning, as the excellent reputations enjoyed by her books on these subjects amply testify. She has also lived in Japan for a number of years and has produced two books on Japanese gardens: One Hundred Kyoto Gardens and The Art of Japanese Gardens. The latter is still regarded as the nearest to a definitive work on this subject in any European language.

Loraine and Richard C. Tongg, both residents of Hawaii for many years, coau-thored two earlier works on tropical flora: The Modern Tropical Garden and Hawai-ian Flowers, both of which have gained recognition as outstanding works in their fields. The earlier Hawaiian Flowers sold steadily for twelve years until 1955, when the plates were destroyed in a fire; the pres-

ent work is both an outgrowth of it and a completely new and vastly improved book.

The above paragraphs were lifted from the back flap of Hawaiian Flowers & Flowering Trees: A Guide to Tropical & Semitropical Flora, by Loraine E. Kuck & Richard C. Tongg, 1958, Charles E. Tuttle Co., Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan. 158 pages.

I can find only scant information online about Loraine, other than that she was born in 1899 and died at age 82, and that in 1961 she was the publicity committee con-sultant for the Hawaiian Historical Society. But I have a little gem of personal informa-tion to share. In 1974, while giving Beatrice Krauss a ride from Lyon Arboretum to the UH Manoa campus, Bea commented that my car (1960 Triumph TR3) triggered memories for her of earlier days when she and her good friends Loraine Kuck and Marie Neal would socialize and botanize and share many common interests. So there apparently was a sorority of sorts, of prominent “women in the Hawaii land-scape industry” back in the day. Listed are some notable works by Loraine and you will see why.

One Hundred Kyoto Gardens. Loraine E. Kuck. London, K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. 1937. 149 pages.

The Tropical Garden, its Design, Hor-ticulture and Plant Materials. Loraine E. Kuck and Richard C. Tongg. 1939. The Macmillan Co., New York. 378 pages.

The Art of Japanese Gardens. Loraine E. Kuck. 1940. The John Day Co. 304 pages.

Hawaiian Flowers. Loraine E. Kuck and Richard C. Tongg. 1943. Tongg Publishing Co., Honolulu, Hawaii. 109 pages.

Story of the Lei: Customs, Varieties, Care, Use. Loraine E. Kuck. 1956. Tongg Publish-ing Co., Honolulu, Hawaii. 48 pages.

Japanese Gardens; A Catalogue of an Ex-hibition from Japan. Loraine E. Kuck. 1957.

The World of the Japanese Garden: From Chinese Origins to Modern Landscape Art. Loraine E. Kuck. 1968. Walker/Weatherhil Co. 414 pages.

Ken Leonhardt is a professor at the Department of Tropical Plant and Soils Sci-ences at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

KuckLoraine E.

Early pioneer paved the way for future women in the

landscape industry in Hawaii

Loraine E. IN HAWAII

LANDSCAPE

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BY HEIDI BORNHORST AND ROBIN LEE GYORGYFALVY, FASLA

Brenda Lam grew up in Ma-noa Valley and graduated from Punahou School. She attended the University of Colorado, studied abroad in Perugia, Italy, and graduat-

ed from the University of Hawaii with a B.A in Art including additional studies in architecture and landscape architecture. She went on to earn a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmen-tal Planning at Utah State University.

In 1981, Brenda became a licensed Landscape Architect and Landscape Contractor and established Pacific Kona Landscaping Inc., the very first wom-an-owned design/build firm in Hawai‘i. Her firm would be a major planning and design influence in the planned residen-tial community and resort boom to hit the “gold coast” of the Big Island. Some of these projects were Onenalo, Kanaloa, homes in Mauna Kea, Hualalai,, Kukio and Hokulia. She was also very influen-tial in the native plants movement in Hawai‘i toward water conservation, a local aesthetic style, and sustainability in Hawai‘i’s challenging and often demand-ing ecosystems.

Prior to establishing her own firm, she worked for PBR in Honolulu. The most interesting project she worked on there

was the Master Plan for the Sacred Falls State Park which included trails and camp grounds. She was also partners in the very first all women landscape architectural planning and design firm in Hawai‘i with Robin Lee Gyorgyfalvy doing planned res-idential community and commercial proj-ects in West Hawai‘i. Their mentor was Beatrice Krauss of Lyon Arboretum, one of Hawai‘i’s living treasures and a beloved ethnobotanist whose influence regarding native plants was immeasurable.

Brenda’s family also influenced her love for plants. Her grandfather had an amazing garden and a lath redwood greenhouse full of orchids. As a child, she remembers how memorable it was to help him repot his plants with a special hapu’u mixture and carefully fertilize them with a special orchid fertilizer. Her grandfather’s multi-level garden was on a slope and a favorite memory was carrying blooming orchids up to the house to place upon special display shelves on the lanai for everyone to enjoy. Picture an entire terrace of Vanda orchids, a fish pond with water lilies and Bufos, and a garden won-derland of fruit trees which included the best Pirie mango ever, lychee, jabong, and every season of avocado.

Brenda’s father, Dr. Frederick Lam, bought their family home in Manoa in the 1950s. It was up the street on Manoa Road close to Brenda’s grandparents’ home. The first thing he did was to plant

fruit trees - mango, lychee, jabong, and bananas. He also planted a very special avocado tree from one of his patients. After many years, in February of 2016, this special avocado tree is finally blooming for the first time. Brenda continues the work of her grandfather and father by restoring the fruit tree garden as well as their historic home on Manoa Road.

Heidi Bornhorst first met Brenda when both were flying from Lanai to Honolulu. They found both were interested in native plants and began to collaborate on land-scape projects on the Manele Bay Resort and Golf Course on Lanai, one of Brenda’s biggest projects that spanned over sev-eral years. Their collaboration included collecting and planting native Hawaiian dryland and coastal plants from Lanai, for both the golf course and beach resort ar-eas. They collected and grew native plants from seed and established an on-site nursery on Lanai. All of this also included training the next generation, Brenda’s three sons Andy, Sammy, and Tommy. Andy and Tommy would later work for Brenda in Pacific Kona Landscaping and Sammy would become a project manager in building construction in California and later come full circle back to Lanai.

Brenda was involved with Hawai‘i State Agricultural Leadership and became a leader in growing native plants and trained her staff to propagate plants at their established nursery in Kailua-Kona.

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A Licensed Landscape Architect and Landscape Contractor, Brenda

became the first woman-owned design/build firm in Hawaii

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE

It was now possible to provide the appro-priate plants for the Hawaiian landscape settings she was creating for the multi-tude of resort, residential, recreational, and commercial projects she has com-pleted over her entire career. She was also involved in Chairing the planning and organization of a Hawaiian Native Plants Conference with the Outdoor Circle of Kailua-Kona.

Brenda’s contributions to the Hawai‘i landscape industry over her entire career have been substantial, groundbreaking, and lasting. She has given generously of her time to support organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. She has also been one of the instigators and motivators in creating a new niche for Hawaiian native plants which has now become a thriving Hawaiian native plants nursery industry. She has left a lasting legacy and one great example of this would be the koa seeds she once propagated for the koa forest that now provides the spectacular and beautiful canopy setting for the shade-grown organic coffee of Hawaiian Cloud Forest Coffee in Ahualoa, Hawai‘i.

Her words of wisdom to landscape architects, architects and contractors about using native plants in cultivated landscapes is that natives grow differently in cultivated situations than in the wild. It is hands on planting, maintaining and following the plants for years to really understand how they will grow.


Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii

IRRIGATION SCHOOL A Short Course in Irrigation Design and Troubleshooting

also useful in preparing for the Landscape Industry Certified Technician Irrigation Exam.

Instructor Martin Miyashiro, SiteOne Landscape Supply

Hawai’i Community College-Palamanui, Kona

Friday: 8 AM to 4 PM * June 10th

Irrigation Design / Hydraulics

Irrigation Installation

Saturday 8 AM to 4 PM * June 11th

Troubleshooting (some hands-on) Electrical and Controllers Sprinkler Heads and Remote Control Valves

Students will need to bring note pads, pens, pencils and a calculator and LUNCH on both days (snacks will be provided)

On Saturday, bring a multimeter for electrical troubleshooting if you have one.

The Irrigation School is half price for employees, and the employer, of Companies who have received approval from the

Department of Labor Employment and Training Fund (ETF).

Who Qualifies: 1) Employers / Companies with a Federal ID# who want to register employees for an LICH Training Class or LICT Certification Exam. 2) Single person companies with a GE License.

Email [email protected] for information and Registration Form or go to www.hilahawaii.com

www.hawaiiscape.com www.hilahawaii.com

[email protected]


BY GARRETT WEBBCORNERCERTIFICATION

The certification season is off to a brisk start. Classes have started in Kona and will commence in Honolulu on June 1st. Tests dates are set for Kona (June 23rd and 25th), Honolulu (August 4th and 6th), Maui (September 8th and 10th), and Kau-ai is tentatively set for October. This is the time of year to be checking in regularly on the LICH web site, www.hawaiiscape.com for class and test schedules, training registration forms (all islands), and LICT Test Registration forms as well. Remem-ber that this year LICH is an Employment Training Fund Provider. This means that any employer can cut training or testing

fees IN HALF; ETF applications are dues two weeks before a class or test, so be sure to check the web site soon to meet the deadlines and take advantage of this major savings.

Another addition to the LICT Program this year is the Irrigation School, a two day class taught by Martin Miyashiro, SiteOne Landscape Supply. The Kona Irrigation School will take place June 10th and 11th, 2016, and plans are underway to have the school taught on Maui and Kau-ai as well. Training in Irrigation is already a part of the Landscape Certified Techni-cian Training Classes given on Oahu.

All in all, an exciting year for certifica-tion in Hawaii. If you are already certified, but want to add another module, with the savings through the ETF Program,

it may be worthwhile to test on another Island. Oahu will test for Ornamental and Turf Maintenance and Irrigation; Kona will test for Ornamental Mainte-nance, Softscape Installation and, most likely, Irrigation. Maui will test again for Ornamental Maintenance and may add Irrigation. Keep in touch; you can send an email with questions to [email protected] or keep checking www.hawaiiscape.com.

Get Certified!

Garrett Webb, Landscape Industry Certified Manager (LICM) is the State Adminis-trator for the Hawaii LICT Pro-gram and President for LICH.

Check for schedules and registration forms

EXCITING YEAR OF CERTIFICATION SET

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ssssssssssmsmsmsmsssssssssmsmsmsShelliShellisShellisMcCelvey

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HAWAIISCAPE.COM 13

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE


2118 Lauwiliwili St. #102-EKapolei, Hawaii 96707

Small company, BIG designsBY MEILIN QUINN

Shelli McCelvey is the found-er of McCelvey Associates, a small landscape architect company that works on big projects. Located in Kailua and founded in 2001, McCelvey

Associates has worked on premier resort destinations in Hawaii, Asia, and through-out the pacific. From the Nirvana resort in Bali, to a Hyatt in Java, to the The Ritz Carlton club in Kapalua, McCelvey has worked on amazing projects that normally would be the realm for bigger firms.

Having grown up in California, Mc-Celvey attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and did not originally plan to major in landscape architecture.

“ I started taking just regular architecture courses and one of my professors actually recommended landscape architecture. I’ve always loved nature, gardening, and design, so I loved the concept of landscape architecture as a career because it’s just a nice mix of all of my favorite things — I like the whole creative process, working outside versus inside.”

“I started as a landscape designer, work-ing from the bottom at Tongg, Clarke, and Mechler in 1985.” She had come to Hawaii to attend a wedding, submitted some re-sumes, got a job, sold the other half of her round trip ticket, and has been here ever since. She eventually moved up the ranks, and the company transitioned to Tongg, Clarke, and McCelvey with her as a prin-cipal. But her partner, Allan Clarke wound up having to relocate back to California, so McCelvey took over.

“It just seemed like a natural progression at the time for me to assume the projects the firm had.”

“It was never a goal of mines to have my own company. Schedules are always a challenge, especially now that people want things quicker and quicker. Budget con-straints are hard as well. In today’s environ-

ment, everything is very competitive and needs to be cost-effective.” In recent times, the practice of landscape architecture in Hawaii has been changing away from just a typical resort aesthetic, and McCelvey As-sociates is helping to guide that evolution. “Sustainability is more of a forefront of what we’re trying to do now — with more native plants and energy-efficient designs.“

McCelvey is not only fulfilling her passions through great landscape design, but she is also making a meaningful impact on the other side of the world with a

non-profit safari business in Uganda. “My business was doing well and I wanted to find a way that I could give back so I began researching different organizations that I could contribute to from a charitable standpoint. One of those was the Women’s Opportunity Network and I went on an overseas trip with them.They basically do microfinance for women in business so I went to Uganda with them and ended up starting my little business. Really it’s more of an effort to provide employment for the people there.

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Add image of write Meilin Quinn Add bio "Meilin Quinn is a new reporter for Hawai‘i Landscape Magazine. She is a junior at Roosevelt High School in Honolulu."

PHOTO COURTESY WENDIE MCALLASTER

Wendie inventorying a WWII-era, Japanese-built trench complex at Wake Island, a National Historic Landmark


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BY ERIN HIGA

Wendie McAllaster, ASLA, is well rec-ognized in Hawai‘i for her expertise in and dedication to historic preserva-

tion. With an award-winning career that spans over three decades in landscape architecture, historic preservation, and land use and environmental planning, she is respected among her peers and industry partners and recently became the first woman principal at one of the largest planning firms in the Pacific, HHF Planners. Wendie also serves her commu-nity as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, past-president of Junior League Honolulu, and volunteers for numerous HHF-spon-sored community service projects.

How it all began… Wendie knew two things growing up in

Minnesota and Michigan: she wanted to become a designer and she wanted to be warm. Not long after graduating with her Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Michigan State University (you can take the girl out of Michigan, but you can’t take the Spartan out of the girl), Wendie fulfilled both of her goals: she moved to Hawaii in 1981 and began working for her uncle on the landscape design for Hilton Hawaiian Village’s new Tapa Tower.

A few years later, while employed with the international landscape and design firm EDAW, Wendie’s talent for writing was discovered, and a planner was born. During the 80s and early 90s, Wendie was immersed in all aspects of land use and environmental planning as well as design-ing residential landscapes. In 1995, Wendie joined HHF Planners and discovered immediately that the firm’s project diver-sity allowed her to integrate landscape architecture, physical and urban planning,

and her impeccable writing skills. After many years growing with the firm, Wendie was promoted to Principal in 2014. One of her fellow Principals at HHF, Dave Curry, notes that “Wendie’s multi-discipline talents have been a critical factor in HHF’s success during the past fifteen years and will be a guiding force for the firm’s future.”

Historic Preservation Awakening

In the late 1990s, Wendie was involved with the initial redevelopment plans for Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, which indi-rectly led to her primary authorship of the Navy’s first Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan for Pearl Harbor. It was through this award-winning project that Wendie became aware of the need to understand the historical and cultural framework of distinctive landscapes in Hawai‘i in order to safeguard them for future generations. Wendie only half-jok-ingly says that, “before this eye-opening project, I ignorantly viewed the “ugly,” old, and rundown shops, warehouses, and hangars — as well as the acres of barren pavement (actually former seaplane ramps with Dec. 7th strafing marks) — through my landscape architect “beautification” lenses, rather than through the awareness and appreciation of the historical context of this unique landscape.” To acquire formal training in historic preservation, she attended classes at UCLA, obtained her Historic Preservation Certificate at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and became a Qualified Historic Landscape Architect and Qualified Historic Preserva-tion Planner per the Secretary of the Inte-rior’s Professional Qualification Standards (National Park Service).

Over the last fifteen years, Wendie has established herself as the expert in Ha-wai‘i on the Cultural Landscape Approach to historic preservation. This holistic, “big picture” view of historic properties includes a comprehensive inventory and

assessment of a variety of historic features and an understanding of relationships among both natural and manmade features to document how they have changed over time.

Wendie has managed over twenty-five preservation projects, most notably:

■ Wake Island National Historic Landmark Historic American Landscape Survey (HALS)

■ Fort Kamehameha Cultural Landscape Report (CLR)

■ Rural Historic Landscape Assessment for Kapalawai, Kauai

■ CLR for Building 1102, Hickam Field, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam

■ Navy Region Hawaii Historic Asset Management Process (HAMP) CLRs

As part of the multidisciplinary team working on the first HAMP for the Navy in Hawai‘i, Wendie was responsible for the historical contexts and extensive inventory of cultural landscape features supporting CLRs for six Navy installa-tions, which was the largest, most com-plex collection of facilities ever addressed in a CLR.

As the local champion for the Cultural Landscape Approach in Hawai‘i, Wendie’s goals for the future include broadening awareness of cultural landscape docu-mentation for those involved in devel-opment (architects, planners, landscape architects), government agencies that review proposals, and private and public landowners who are stewards of Hawaii’s historic and natural resources. Wendie actively promotes the importance and value of cultural landscape assessments in protecting Hawaii’s unique historical resources through public talks, such as her presentation for Landscape Architec-ture Month at the Hawai‘i State Library in April 2015. She welcomes opportunities to apply and share her expertise in historic preservation.

Recently became the first woman principal at one of the largest planning firms in the PacificRecently became the first woman principal at

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE


How did you get started in your career?

I started working at the age of 17 at the Washington Park Botanical Garden in Springfield, IL. It was nestled in a beau-tiful 150-acre park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. We had a conservatory and I remember sitting in there among the tropical plants with the glass all foggy during the harsh winters and dreaming of sandy beaches. I would thumb through the American Association of Botani-cal Gardens newsletter trolling the job postings in the Caribbean. I dreamed of living in St. Lucia or the Cayman Islands working with exotic plants at a public garden or a private estate. I eventually went off to college and I planned to move to California afterward. Fortunately, I took an internship detour at the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai and my “dream” became reality. I guess I just had the island wrong!

What is the best part of the job? The best part is there is no limit to the

breadth of projects that are possible. The HBG system is so fortunate in having 5

gardens with many different plant collec-tion themes and unique environments. The flexibility is unparalleled. Everyday is different. Not many gardens offer that amount of potential. Resources are always a limiting factor, but that is true anywhere. The biggest limit is your own imagination.

Do you have a mentor that you would like to thank or mention?

I would thank my first boss Inez Goodzey-Berg. She allowed me to dream big in that first job. Looking back, I realize she introduced me to all phases of running a botanical garden at a very young age. This was the 80’s and we were just getting our first Apple computers and setting up a database system for the plant collections. She had no full-time programs staff, so the two of us were pretty much building it all from scratch. We were developing education and public

Sand Joshlyn

interview

BY DOROTHY MULKERN

CURRENT EMPLOYER:Honolulu Botanical Gardens (HBG)

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS: B.S. in Horticulture

University of Illinois; Urbana-Champaign

Master of Public Administration University of Hawai‘i, Manoa

ISA Certified Arborist

JOB POSITION:Horticulturist for the Honolulu Botanical Gardens. I work system-wide at all five botanical gardens; Foster, Ho‘omaluhia, Koko Crater, Wahiawa and Lili‘uokalani.


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event programs, engaging the schools, doing huge seasonal floriculture displays, starting a retail sale area, etc. I learned so much about garden systems there, so when I went off to college I had a great deal of knowledge about the working world and knew what I wanted to do with my education.

In Hawai‘i, I would say mahalo to Steve Nimz. Steve has been an unfailing source of support and advice. I’ve learned a lot watching how he works over the years. He’s just the best at remaining focused and keeping perspective in any setting and with anyone. I sometimes think about how he would handle things when I feel I’m losing my ability to compartmen-talize and focus. Steve is unflappable!

What are current/past projects you are excited about?

My favorite projects are the ones where we partner with other conservation orga-nizations, researchers, students/schools, garden societies, etc. The gardens are at their best when we collaborate. I think of us as a community resource and love to foster different ways for people to use the gardens to better their work or personal lives. A recent example would be our con-servation plantings of endangered native plants at Koko Crater Botanical Garden. We have been partnering with the O‘ahu Army Natural Areas Resource program and DLNR to preserve native plants there. When possible, we even add another layer in by having schools work with us as learn-ing service projects for their science cur-riculum. The more people invested in our mission the more meaningful it becomes.

What is a challenge that you overcame in the workplace? What is your advice to women confronting a similar challenge now?

One challenge was assuming the tree contract management for the gardens years ago. The tree care industry is predominantly male, so it was intimi-

dating to break into that world. I had to walk a line of projecting confidence and capability, while also showing respect for how hard an arborist’s job is and how difficult it is to successfully manage a tree care company. It’s tough to make that a profitable, sustainable business and their workers take risks everyday. Over the years, the companies who work for us have developed an appreciation of the type of pruning that is done at a botani-cal garden. We really want the best and respect their skill sets, so it is a unique job for an arborist to get assigned to.

My advice is to be prepared and con-fident, but develop a thick skin! Realize that over your career trajectory you will

overcome these challenges. You need the wisdom to know when to give second chances and when to just move on. You may be surprised to find some of the people you had the most problems with will become your best allies over time. I also suggest looking at successful women in your field and seeing how they han-dle things. I do wish women were more inclined to share their struggles with each other though. I think there is a hesitancy to be honest about it, but the statistics are staring us in the face and they come from somewhere don’t they?

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE

continued on page 28


PHOTO COURTESY JOSH SAND

Olive Vanselow Hawai‘i’s First Woman ISA Certified Arborist

oooovovovovooooovooooovovovoOliveOliveoOliveoVanselow

profile


BY JOSHLYN SAND

The arboriculture profes-sion was and still is a very male-dominated field. In the mid-1980’s, Olive Vanselow was the first woman in Hawai‘i to take

the International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist examination. Olive looked back with us on that experience and how it influenced her career and her work as the Programs Coordinator for Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden, one of O‘ahu’s largest and busiest natural areas.

What was your inspiration for taking the examination?

The challenge, for one! Arborist Certifi-cation was developed within the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture and was considered to be a “tough” examination. Rumor was that the passing rate ranged from thirty percent to fifty percent in many of the groups apply-ing for certification. Hawaii needed ten people for a certification team to come over and administer the testing – I was the tenth person. Having attended pre-sentations by Dr. Alex Shigo, I fortunately was familiar with his tree biology research and compartmentalization model which I knew would be covered in the exam – material which was then not well known in many tree service sectors.

At the time, did it surprise people that you were taking the exam?

Not really. For many years I was active in the Aloha Arborist Association, helping

to promote materials to improve safe-ty within the local industry (that 63% workers’ compensation rate in Hawai‘i was unheard of in most states) as well as improve consumer understanding of why trees should not be topped.

How has the certification been of use in your career over the years?

Initially my work at the botanical garden included submitting reports to the Director regarding potential tree hazards in respect to visitor safety…trees were growing fast in this “new” rainforest

garden. Later this task was removed from my job description as the garden system acquired an official “arborist” position – the first such position in city government. Along with the Director, I drafted up the justification to have an arborist on the garden staff and prepared a draft job description. One of the final questions regarding this new position was – “could a woman do this job?” Of course – Sharon Lilly of Ohio had just received national recognition as an arborist so I forwarded

the article outlining her accomplish-ments.

Do you think the arboriculture industry has become more inclusive for women?

Since the 1980’s, women nationally and internationally have become more prom-inent in arboriculture. Denice (Froehlich) Britton was instrumental in successful development of an arborist certification program within the ISA Western Chapter – the program expanded to national level. Sharon Lilly is credited with educational tools to assist the industry – including the Arborists’ Certification Study Guide and the Tree Climbers’ Guide. Nelda Matheny is widely recognized for methodology in tree risk assessment and management as well as approaches to tree preservation. Today, more women are climbing arbor-ists and tree workers, some even very competitive in climbing skill –Hawai‘i’s Jamilee Kempton is a champion in that respect!

Do you have any advice for aspiring arborists you would like to share?

Certification within the industry pro-motes the concept of continuing educa-tion – new challenges and changes are always out there! Keeping up-to-date on relevant research, technology and issues in the field is so important!

Joshlyn Sand is a horticulturist and arborist for the Honolulu Botanical Gardens.

Today, more women are climbing arborists and tree workers, some even very competitive in climbing skill

The first woman in Hawai‘i to take the International Society of Arboriculture

Certified Arborist examination

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE


LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY COUNCIL OF HAWAIIRenew your membership online at www.hawaiiscape.com

Privacy Disclaimer – LICH reserves all rights to contact all magazine subscribers via mail or electronic with option to opt out of communications. LICH reserves all rights to print contact information for an industry directory. LICH will not sell or provide contact information to any third party unless legally mandated.

Individual Membership: $40 per year | Corporate Membership: $250 per year and includes all employees.Corporate membership includes five magazine subscriptions.

Company: Individual member names: Circle Renew or New Address: 1. R N City: State: Zip: 2. R N Phone: Fax: 3. R N E-Mail: 4. R N Web Site: Add more on additional sheet if necessary

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Mail to: LICH Membership, P.O. Box 22938, Honolulu, HI 96823-2938

Renew your membership online at www.hawaiiscape.com

2016 Membership New / Renewal ApplicationValid through December 2016M

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Registration for the

LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN (LICT) TRAINING PROGRAM

Classes start on June 1, 2016

at Urban Garden Center, Pearl City

The landscape industry has become an important trade in construction and maintenance for commercial, private, government, and residential properties. Certification verifies quality, competence, and recognition in yourself, your company, and your clients. This training program is designed to prepare candidates for the LICT Exterior Certification. We are offering two training classes this year:

• Maintenance (Ornamental and Turf) • Irrigation

The training program will cover all three certification modules. All classes are scheduled to take about 2½ hours to 3 hours and most will be taught in classroom situations with some outdoor practical exercises. Tools and equipment will be operated during some of the classes. Students should come prepared by reading the training manual prior to attending each class, take notes, perform problem solving and calculations, and participate in hands-on demonstrations. Employment Training Fund (ETF) 50% class fee reduction available to qualified Employers For a registration form or ETF information, please log on to: https://www.hawaiiscape.com/training/ to download the form or if you have any questions please contact: Madeleine Shaw via email at [email protected] or call at (808) 597-0708.

Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii

P.O. Box 88416 ® Honolulu, HI 96815


PHOTO CAROL KWAN

Maureen Murphy checking out a giant redwood tree at

Yosemite.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMaureenMaureenMaureenmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmmMaureenmMaureenMurphy

profile


IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE

BY CAROL KWAN

Maureen Murphy grew up in San Di-ego and earned her Bachelor’s degree in horticulture from California

Polytechnic State University. Since she loves sun and surf, she moved to Hawaii, starting out at a protea farm on Maui. From there, she moved to Kauai in 1980 to work for National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG).

After that, she was fortunate to be accepted into the prestigious Longwood Graduate Program at Longwood Gar-dens in Pennsylvania, one of the premier botanical gardens in the world. This program only accepts 5 students per year from among numerous applicants world-wide. While there, she earned her Master’s degree in botanical gardens management.

Once she completed her Master’s degree, she returned to Hawaii, working for Hilton Hawaiian Village on Oahu as Director of Landscape, where the duties of her department included herding penguins through their daily parades and chasing after one little escape artist penguin named Houdini.

In 1990, she started her own business, Horticultural Consultants International, on the Big Island where she lived and worked for 11 years. She moved back to Kauai with the turn of a new century, working for NTBG from 2001-2004 while

Trailbrazing industry landscaper became the first woman in Hawaii to earn Registered

Consulting Arborists in 2012

running Horticultural Consultants Inter-national on the side. Once her business grew large enough, she began running it full time, focusing on beautification projects for resorts and residences as well as all aspects of tree care including prun-ing. She has served as the president of Kauai Outdoor Circle since around 2008 and has also been very active with Kauai Landscape Industry Council, volunteering at their various activities throughout the year.

Maureen became a Certified Arborist in 1996 and became a Registered Consulting Arborist in 2012 through the American Society of Consulting Arborists, the first woman in Hawaii to earn that designa-tion.

When I started handling the admin for Aloha Arborist Association in 2004, Mau-reen became my first contact person on Kauai. In 2007, she helped me distribute educational materials from a Kaulunani grant throughout Kauai. With her friendly smile and upbeat personality as well as her extensive expertise, Maureen Murphy is a true asset for the landscape industry in Hawaii.

Carol Kwan is the President of Carol Kwan Consulting, a Certified Arborist, and a Director of Aloha Arborist Association and the Western Chapter International Soci-ety of Arboriculture.

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ssppspSharonppSharonpSharonpPeterson

profile

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE

change in life, she packed up her daughters and moved to Oahu.

Her green industry career began in 1973 when she joined Ho‘onani Landscaping & Nursery, owned and managed by the


BY KEN LEONHARDT

Sharon Peterson grew up on a cattle ranch, 12 miles down a gravel road from the small community of Othello, Washington, and its 3,500 resident population. Every-

one who knows Sharon admires her strong work ethic, but did you know that as a young girl during the harvest season she was out the door at 2:00 a.m. to rake hay for the horses and cows?

Sharon has fond memories of her childhood home, “Othello was just desert land. The Grand Coulee Dam was put in as a massive irrigation project. As I grew up I saw this vast wasteland transformed into a farming community. When we first moved there you were lucky if you could see a light from another farm because every-thing was just still raw”.

Always outdoors and close to the ani-mals, breaking young horses or training horses for the show ring, Sharon had hoped to become a veterinarian. However, being married with two daughters, fi-nances were too tight for vet school so she pursued a teaching career and graduated from Central Washington State University with a bachelor’s degree in art education in 1972. Sharon recalls that, “Early teaching experiences on the Yakima Indian Reserva-tion were rewarding, but when we moved to Oregon and I began teaching in an ur-ban school system, it was a cultural shock for this dedicated country girl.” Needing a

From growing up on a cattle ranch in Washington state to be the first woman

landscape contractor in Hawaii

Dillingham Corporation. “I started with them right about the time they got the contract to do the airport landscaping.

continued on page 29


jjjjjcjcjccJilljcjcj JillcJillcJillcJillcCoryell

profile

IN HAWAII LANDSCAPE

THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY HAWAIISCAPE.COM 27

BY KEN LEONHARDT

Fresh out of high school in Ventura, California, Jill Co-ryell moved to Honolulu to attend the University of Ha-waii. Homesick, at the tender age of 17, she cried for 6 days.

Then on the 7th day she looked out of her window at the majestic Manoa Valley and fell in love with Hawaii and knew then that she would never leave. After two years at UH, Jill joined United Airlines for a 38-year career as a flight attendant.

Jill returned to UH Manoa as a part-time student, taking usually 2 or 3 classes each semester, while still flying, and in 1986 earned a BA degree in Hawaiian Studies and another BA degree in An-thropology. She was a straight A student (except for that lousy B in Geology) and finished with a 3.95 grade point average. Dean’s List every semester!

It was in her Ethnobotany class in the fall semester 1984, taught by renowned botanist and Hawaiian cultural author-ity Dr. Isabella Abbott, that Jill’s interest in plants blossomed. She volunteered frequently at the nearby Waimea Arbo-retum and Botanical Garden and became well acquainted with Director David Orr. At some point David needed a liaison between the arboretum, with its sub-stantial collection of hibiscus, and the American Hibiscus Society, and asked Jill to fill that role. She was reluctant because she knew nothing about hibiscus, but David said you’re a quick learner, just join the association and get on its mailing list. This was the genesis of the Hibiscus Lady of Hawaii.

Jill began making hibiscus hybrids in 1999. She keeps a database on every cross she has ever made and the resulting prog-eny. She is very selective when grading out her seedlings, sometimes discarding entire populations. Overall, she keeps only about 3% of the seedlings to increase for sales or

to be used as parents in future breeding. Accordingly, she has a big compost pile of seedlings that didn’t make the cut.

Jill sells her plants retail from her Hibiscus Lady Nursery in Waialua (Phone 808-637-9995), from the Farmers’ Market at Pearl Ridge on Saturday mornings, at

A Ethnobotany class sparked her passion and lead her on a path to becoming the

Hibiscus Lady of Hawaii

various O‘ahu Nursery Growers Associa-tion (ONGA) plant sales, and from her on-line store to destinations around the US Mainland: www.hibiscusladyhawaii.com. With the exception of a few species and historical crosses, Jill sells only cultivars that she has created. Landscapers are wel-come to call Jill for hibiscus information or to visit Hibiscus Lady Nursery.

Jill is in contact with people at Kew Gar-dens, trying to help determine the parent-age of early hibiscus hybrids in paintings done in the 1800s in China. She is also the Hibiscus consultant for Waimea Arbore-tum and often works with its vast archive of data on the genus. She and David Orr are working on creating an “Historical Hibiscus Hybridizers Garden” at the arboretum to highlight the work done by Hawai‘i hybridizers. (In the early 1900s a group of sugar planters and missionary descendants formed a hui with the UH Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station for the purpose of hybridizing hibiscus. By 1909 they had created about 1000 hybrids. The true “Father” of hybrid hibiscus was a Hawaiian gentleman named Valentine Holt, who created about half of those first 1000 hybrids Nearly all later hybrids around the world are descendants of those first Hawai’i-created hybrids!

There are two employees at Hibiscus Lady Nursery, but customers and others frequently ask if they can volunteer their help just to be around the nursery and enjoy Jill’s wonderful creations. In addi-tion to locals, volunteers have come from as far away as Germany, Switzerland and Chicago.

One of Jill’s great pleasures is giving tours of her nursery to guests and visitors, whether a customer or not. She just loves people, even her on-line customers (flight attendant personality). When she is not busy with breeding, culling, cultivating or selling hibiscus, Jill may be found dancing hula or teaching hula to her three grand-daughters, ages 3 months, 18 months and 12 years, provided by her two sons (the 12 year old has been making hibiscus crosses since age 5!).

Jill feels blessed and proud to be able to breed and grow hibiscus, and bring joy to others through her creations. Just go to her website and you will see why.

Ken Leonhardt is a professor at the Department of Tropical Plant and Soils Sci-ences at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

SANDcontinued from page 17


What are some of the changes you have seen since you start-ed in the industry? How have you adapted?

Technology has been the biggest change since I started. The informa-tion age and the computerization of png botanical publications, plant col-lection databases, etc. has been a real game changer. When I started, people wrote formal letters if they wanted to make even the smallest request. Now everything gets done in the blink of the eye. When something works, adapting is easy. You just jump at it.

What are your hopes for the future of the industry?

My hope is the green industry will continue its current path toward in-creased organization so we are recog-nized by policy makers and the public for affecting positive change. Hawai‘i will have many environmental chal-lenges and this industry has unique expertise crucial to making our islands a beautiful place where people want to live and visit. I think LICH has done a tremendous job over the years in this capacity. It is hard to stay involved and contribute because everyone is busy working in their own niche, but when we band together the sum is so much greater that the parts.

Dorothy Mulkern is the Assistant Vice President for Mulkern Landscaping & Nursery and a certified Master Gardener. You can visit Dorothy at Mulkern Nursery any Saturday 8:30 – 4:00.

interview

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PETERSONcontinued from page 25

We did most of the airport at that time. All the coconut trees down on the bottom level and the bougainvillea and other stuff up on all the planters”, she recalls. When Dillingham decided to get out of the land-scaping business, Sharon purchased the 5-acre master lease and the plant inventory and with the help of daughters Robin and Cindy, founded Sharon’s Plants Ltd. Later she acquired the leases on both sides of the original lease, expanding the business to 20 acres. Sharon smiled with pride when telling me that she was the first woman licensed landscape contractor in Hawaii.

Sharon’s Plants cultivates and sells a wide variety of container landscape spe-cies, interior and aquatic plants, primarily to landscape contractors, but also at retail to the general public.

Sometime in the mid-1980s bromeliads caught her attention and she became an insatiable collector. Aechmea, Ananas, Billbergia, Cryptanthus, Guzmania, Neore-gelia, Tillandsia and Vriesea, both species and hybrids, she had to have them all. She recalls, “It finally occurred to me that I have amassed a truly extensive gene pool of both species and hybrids and that per-haps I should try creating some new hy-brids of my own.” So she joined the Hawaii Bromeliad Society, to learn about hybridiz-ing and eventually served as vice-president and later president. Did she learn anything about hybridizing? How about “Hybridizer of the Year” award from the Bromeliad Society International in 2006! She has several certificates of recognition and “Best in Show” awards for her hybrid creations, some of which have sold for over $500!

Sharon has exercised her creative instincts in producing improved varieties through breeding and genetics not only with bromeliads but also with ti leaves,

tropical fish, horses and dogs. She loves her show quality Doberman Pinchers, and has raised several champions in Hawaii and in Japan, in addition to “Best in Show” among all breeds!

Sharon enjoys travelling. Her success in business has allowed her to travel to such exotic places as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia and elsewhere. “One of the reasons I enjoy travelling so much is I like to see what oth-er countries have that we don’t, then bring it back and see if it can be of use to us.”

Now retired, with Robin having taken over management of the business, Sharon has more time to pursue the joys of brome-liad and Doberman breeding, and traveling.

Ken Leonhardt is a professor at the De-partment of Tropical Plant and Soils Sciences at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Ha-waii at Manoa.

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biocontrol insect spread quickly on its own following the statewide releases and the impact to EGW larvae was quickly seen through the post-release monitor-ing conducted by DOA, DLNR, and the University of Hawaii (Figure 1). As the population of EGW declined, the wiliwili trees recovered in vigor, and success was declared. However, continued monitor-ing by UH researcher Dr. Leyla Kaufman found that the flowers and seedpods were still damaged periodically by EGW, reduc-ing the ability of wiliwili to reproduce and sustain natural populations.

Fortunately DOA had maintained its colony of the second biological control candidate, Aprostocetus nitens. Apros-tocetus is yet another small wasp that was found in east Africa. This second agent has the potential to reduce infes-tation levels in flowers and seedpods and therefore improve the health of wiliwili populations. DOA has conducted exper-iments on the insect’s specificity as well as determined that it would not compete

with Eurytoma, reducing its efficacy in foliar recovery. Currently an environmen-tal assessment is underway for the release of Aprostocetus and its release into the environment could be made by the end of the year.

Wiliwili continues to face many threats including wildfire, competition from invasive grasses such as fountain grass, ungulates, and an introduced seed boring bruchid beetle. Although recent plant-ing of wiliwili have been successful in establishment, it’s hoped that reducing pressure by EGW on flowers and seeds will improve the viability of the species in natural settings. However, for land-scape plantings, wiliwili is a viable option again, especially in dry areas with limited irrigation.

Rob Hauff is a forester for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife. He works on pest and disease issues affecting Hawaii’s forests.

WILIWILI UPDATEB

ack in 2005 when the Erythrina gall wasp (Quadrastichus erythri-nae) showed up on Oahu, many feared for the last remaining wiliwili forests.

Wiliwili had previously been considered ‘bullet-proof’ to pests and was being used as a foundation species to restore Hawaii’s beleaguered dry forest ecosystems. The extensively planted non-native Erythrina variegata and, especially, the tall variety used in agricultural wind rows, rapidly succumbed to the new destructive pest as it spread throughout the state. Resource managers and native forest enthusiasts quickly rallied to collect seeds from as many remaining wiliwili populations as possible and deposit them in safe keep-ing at the seed conservation lab at Lyon Arboretum, assuming the worst for this culturally and ecologically important tree.

In the face of imminent disaster for the state’s wiliwili, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (DOA) quickly mobilized its team of entomologists to scour the globe for potential candidates for classical bio-logical control. At a record-breaking pace, DOA found two potential candidates in East Africa, conducted the required biological studies in the facility on King Street in Honolulu to guarantee safety, and acquired all of the necessary permits and environmental compliance docu-ments for the most promising agent. This was none-to-soon for the wiliwili trees which, although not wiped out like the E. variegata urban and agricultural plant-ings, was still suffering significant morali-ty. A census of several wiliwili populations around the state by UH and DLNR found morality rates between 30-35% in natural wiliwili stands attributed to EGW.

In November 2008 DOA released Eurytoma erythrinae, a small predator wasp (even smaller than the gall wasp itself) which seeks out galls created by EGW and deposits its eggs inside. When the voracious Eurytoma larvae hatch, they feast on the EGW larvae and pupae. The


BY ROBERT D. HAUFFCOLUMNPEST

Recovered wiliwili tree at Waikoloa, Hawaii island.

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