Planting native trees to save Hawaiian forests

Dear friend,

While we continue planning for our next round of reforestation projects on Hawai'i Island, we wanted to take a moment to share some success stories from our other related projects establishing community orchards on the island.

Over at Hawai'i Academy of the Arts, the 25 tropical fruit trees planted in 2018 are now producing harvests for the students. Teachers there shared a meaningful Native Hawaiian proverb:

"E hinu auane'i na nuku, he pomaika'i ko laila / Where the mouths are shiny (with fat food), prosperity is there."

At Mountain View High School, teacher Jaime Lewis shared how their 15-tree orchard, planted in 2018, has flourished:

"Our orchard has been the inspiration for growth at our school."

At Kohala Elementary School, Garden Teacher Heather Brovsky reflected on the 25 citrus trees planted in 2019 and the impact they’ve had on the students:

"Having our citrus orchard donated by the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation has given our students a real sense of connection to and responsibility for the garden. Each class adopting a tree has given them purpose and the pleasure of watching their trees thrive and begin to produce thanks to their care. That relationship — teaching students to 'malama' the earth and discover how it gives back — is key to cultivating young people who care about themselves, each other, and the earth."

We are committed to continuing this work — creating abundant school and community orchards across the Hawai'i Islands, supporting food sovereignty, and promoting healthy living for local communities. To help us expand these efforts, please consider making a donation to this project.

Mahalo nui loa!