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Cutting down trees along road to home

What used to be a continuous alley of monkeypod trees, some forming an arbor tunnel to others just providing shade, will no longer line my drive from Wailuku to Waikapu.

The state and planners for this Hawaiian Homes project have stated that these majestic monkeypod trees will uproot the road and are diseased.

These are healthy trees. One downed tree at the Wailuku end of the subdivision was over 3.5 feet in diameter and has always had healthy leaves, as did all the others that have been cut down. These trees also have not caused road damage as stated by the state.

With most of the trees gone, the view to the West Maui Mountains looks nice, but with new development, what will eventually present those driving along Honoapi’ilani Highway will be the sight of a densely planned subdivision of over 160 homes. These trees would have provided a buffer to these homes and screened them from the road.

Approximately 20 trees have already been cut down. There are only a few remaining.

Although there are alternative trees planned, they are a smaller tree type and will take many years to mature.

Community input was sought and overwhelmingly opposed to the destruction of our beautiful monkeypod trees.

If I were younger and knew when the trees were going to be cut down, I would have physically tied myself to a tree to attempt to stop this tragedy.

What a shame that compromise could not be reached to save these trees.

Muffy Gushi

Waikapu

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