Fast-growing, fragile trees are looming threat
By Colin M. Stewart
Tribune-Herald Staff WriterIt’s only a matter of time, says a group of Hawaiian Beaches residents, before someone is seriously injured, or worse.
"People are going to die soon," agreed University of Hawaii at Hilo associate professor of biology Becky Ostertag.
What has the Puna residents and experts so concerned is the albizia tree.
A relative newcomer to Hawaii, albizia were introduced here in 1917 by botanist Joseph Rock as an ornamental tree and for reforestation purposes.
With its tall white trunk and wide-spreading, umbrella-like canopy capable of shading up to a half acre, the albizia tree makes for a pleasing contrast to the black outcroppings of lava rock and scrubby underbrush so prevalent in the Puna area.
It is one of the fastest growing trees in the world, according to albizia expert Flint Hughes of the U.S. Forest Service.
The tree can grow to 20 feet tall in its first year, 45 feet in its third, and 60 feet by the end of its 10th year.
It is albizia’s ability to grow so quickly, however, that makes it a threat to those under its expansive network of branches, said Hughes.