Besides providing shade and beauty, trees play an important role in climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air, according to the Arbor Day Foundation. Today, three comm- unity groups in Manoa are sponsoring the giveaway of 1,000 trees from 8 to 11 a.m. at College Hill Driveway in Manoa as part of a biannual tradition for nearly two decades.

Up for grabs at the event dubbed “1,000 Tree Giveaway” will be a wide variety of trees, including avocado, hau, kalo, koa, kukui, false wiliwili, milo, monkeypod, mountain apple, palms, papaya, plumeria, ti, ulu (breadfruit) and many others available on a first-come, first-served basis. Arborists will also be on hand to answer questions about the trees and plants.

Volunteers from the Manoa branch of The Outdoor Circle, Malama Manoa and the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Lyon Arboretum teamed up to cultivate and propagate the trees and plants available at the event.

“Our mission is to keep Hawaii clean, green and beautiful,” said Manoa Outdoor Circle President Jeremy Lam. “So we’re just taking a small step to increase the shade, diminish the glare, cool the temperature and make the island healthier.”

Lyon Arboretum earlier this year hosted volunteers from Manoa Outdoor Circle to harvest a variety of Hawaiian, Polynesian and fruiting plants from its collection, including mountain apple, mamaki, kokio keokeo (white hibiscus), ohia lehua and cacao.

“We are always looking for opportunities to connect with the local community and spread knowledge about the importance of plants in our everyday lives, and the larger role they play to provide us with important ecosystem services,” said Tim Kroessig, Lyon Arboretum horticulture manager, in a March UH news release.

“Trees can provide shade, food in the form of fruit, and aesthetic appeal to your yard or property,” he said. “They also provide habitat for other organisms such as birds and pollinator insects like butterflies and bees. If you grow Hawaiian and Polynesian trees and plants you are also helping to preserve a part of the Native Hawaiian culture and ecosystems.”

Malama Manoa, in an online blog post about the tree giveaway, said that “our urban forest is diminishing by the day” due to new construction of new homes, ohana additions and more parking space, and storage in the neighborhood.

Studies have shown trees not only increase the value of a property, the nonprofit said, but improve air quality due to the oxygen they produce, reduce soil erosion, absorb noise and cool the ground.

Those attending the tree giveaway are asked to find street parking, which should be ample within a block or two, and to line up on the sidewalk at College Hill, 2234 Kamehameha Ave.