‘Plant a tree — save the planet’

LIHUE — The beginning of November is the time to pick up plants on Kauai as several organizations celebrate Arbor Day with tree giveaways.

Friday, the state’s Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program will be giving away trees at the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife Baseyard and Nursery until from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Kauai Invasive Species Committee is throwing an Arbor Day plant giveaway in the Kukui Grove Center parking lot. That event runs from 9 a.m. to noon and includes more than 1,200 native or non-invasive plants.

“Plant a tree — save the planet” is the slogan for Saturday’s Arbor Day event and is highlighted in both of the giveaways. Experts will be on hand at both to answer questions.

Trees are part of a category called “carbon sinks,” which means they absorb more carbon than they release. Planting forests has been shown as a way to combat climate change.

The department also cites a 2019 study published in Science magazine, which discusses global tree restoration potential.

“If we act now, (we) could cut carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 25%, to levels last seen almost a century ago,” said Professor Tom Crowther, senior author of that study.

Planting trees was declared “the most effective climate change solution to date” in this same study.