Safety Issues Prompt Removal of Eucalyptus Trees

A contractor today was cutting down the tall rainbow eucalyptus trees fronting the Waiakea Office Plaza on Kekuanaoa Street.

A spokeswoman for the county Department of Water Supply, which owns and has its offices in the plaza, said the approximately 40-year-old trees in front of the complex, as well as one behind, presented a safety issue.

“During high-wind events, large branches fall,” Kanani Aton said.

The falling branches posed a threat to both pedestrians and vehicles, she said.

The trees will be replaced with a “native landscape,” Aton said.

The work, which required a special management area permit from the county because of proximity to the Wailoa River, is being done by Imua Landscaping Inc.

A section of a trunk is cut by a worker and tumbles to the ground.