Maui County, HI Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

24A of the Maui County Code lets the County Council designate individual trees, or a stand or grove of trees, as 'exceptional trees' worthy of protection. 055 opens with the Council's declaration that trees are valuable for beauty, soil-erosion control, air purification and flood retardation, and resolves to protect unique specimens wherever they stand in the County. 030, to examine a tree for possible designation. The committee can recommend designation for any tree, stand, or grove that has historic or cultural value, or that by reason of age, rarity, location, size, aesthetic quality, or endemic status is worthy of preservation; its recommendation form must identify the tree by scientific and common name, include a photograph, give the tax map key and a location map, show proof of ownership, and describe the tree's dimensions.

On or before March 1 each year the committee reviews the existing list and can recommend a tree be dropped if it has become dangerous, diseased beyond repair, or no longer meets the criteria. Once the Council designates a tree, the committee must notify the property owner or occupant by registered mail and file notice with the bureau of conveyances. The current list, codified in subsection E, runs from the 1873 Indian Banyan at Lahaina Court House Square to the roughly 600-year-old ohia at Waikamoi Preserve and stands of monkey pod along Honoapiilani Highway and Baldwin Avenue.