City parks officials say three milo trees that were among dozens planted at municipal beach parks along a stretch of Oahu’s North Shore this month were stolen.
The three milo trees, which were planted at Haleiwa Alii Beach Park, were stolen on either Sept. 14 or 15. The estimated cost of the stolen milo trees is $3,500, and they will be replaced, city officials said.
Meanwhile, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation has filed a police report, and the crime is being investigated as third-degree theft.
The three trees were among 72 that were planted at three beach parks: Kaiaka Bay, Haleiwa Alii and Haleiwa. Among them are a variety of species, ranging from monkeypods to hau and heliotrope.
The planting of the trees — a $165,500 contract awarded to Island Landscaping and Maintenance Inc. — is part of Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s initiative to plant 100,000 trees by 2025 and to increase the urban tree canopy cover to 35% by 2035.
“One of the best things we can do as a community to ensure our continued health and prosperity is to plant trees,” said Mayor Caldwell in a news release. “It is estimated that for every $1 we put into investing in our trees we receive $3 back in benefit, whether environmental, social, or economic in nature. While it is important to continue planting and managing our trees, it must be done in a thoughtful and planned way to ensure that the trees can be a part of our natural environment for generations to come.”
According to the city parks department, other recent tree planting projects include 46 trees at Halekoa Drive, 11 trees at Hanauma Bay, 96 trees at Ala Moana Regional Park, 28 trees at Honolulu Hale and 56 trees at Anania Drive.
Anyone with information about the stolen milo trees is asked to call Honolulu CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
