Hawaii County, HI Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- HCC Article 10, Sections 14-56, 14-57, 14-65
- Committee
- 6-member mayor-appointed arborist advisory committee
- Designation basis
- Historic, cultural, rarity, age, size or endemic status
- Excluded
- Commercial forestry trees never qualify
- Example listed tree
- Chinese Weeping Banyan, Kalakaua Avenue, Hilo
- Penalty for destroying one
- Up to $1,000 per tree, Section 14-63
Summary
Hawai'i County does not protect tree species generally; it protects individually named "exceptional trees" that the County council has designated one by one under Code Article 10. Section 14-56 was enacted to safeguard these trees from destruction due to land development, and Section 14-57 limits the label to a tree or grove with historic, cultural, aesthetic, rarity, size or endemic significance.
In accordance with section 58-2, Hawai'i Revised Statutes, to safeguard exceptional trees from destruction due to land development, the County desires to enact protective regulations to preserve exceptional trees within the County. ... "exceptional trees" means a tree or grove of trees with historic or cultural value, or which by reason of its age, rarity, location, size, aesthetic quality, or endemic status has been designated by the council as worthy of preservation. The term exceptional trees does not apply to trees planted for commercial forestry operations. Exceptional trees may be designated generally by biotaxy or individually by location or class.
Full Breakdown
"Exceptional tree" is defined in Section 14-57 as a tree or grove of trees with historic or cultural value, or which by reason of age, rarity, location, size, aesthetic quality or endemic status the council has designated as worthy of preservation; trees planted for commercial forestry operations can never qualify, and designation can cover an entire biotaxy (species) generally or a single tree by location or class. A six-member arborist advisory committee appointed by the mayor administers the program: the planning director or a designee, one licensed landscape architect, and four members chosen for work in community beautification, ecological research (including ethnobotany) or Hawaiiana (Section 14-58).
Its powers under Section 14-59 include researching and recommending trees for protection, advising owners on preservation, recommending enforcement regulations, and reviewing any council action that could endanger a listed tree. Section 14-65 carries the actual roll of "Exceptional Trees of the County of Hawai'i" enacted by ordinance, tree by tree and address by address; it lists specimens such as the Bo (Peepul) tree, Ficus religiosa, at the old Riverside School site, a Brazilian fern tree (Schizolobium parahyba) in Moeauoa, North Kona, the Chinese Weeping Banyan on Kalakaua Avenue in Hilo, coconut trees at the Waiolama Canal, and a Divi-Divi (Caesalpinia coriaria) and False Kamani (Terminalia catappa) in downtown Hilo, each tied to a specific tax map key and owner of record.
Violations & Fines
Because Article 10 exists to keep these named specimens off the chopping block, treating a listed tree as ordinary vegetation exposes the responsible party to the same $1,000-per-tree-or-incident fine set in Section 14-63, regardless of whether the person doing the cutting knew the species was rare; the statute does not turn on species generally, only on the individual tree's listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Hawaii County decide which trees are protected?
What makes a tree "exceptional" under the County Code?
Can you give an example of a tree Hawaii County has actually protected?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hawaii County
Compare Hawaii County to another location·View the Hawaii tree protection overview
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