Trees make our Islands more green and hospitable. Ever go somewhere that you haven't been in a while and find yourself saying, 'Hmmm ... something's missing'? 'It's way too bright and HOT'? Often a tree is missing — chopped down, bulldozed and paved over seemingly overnight. In its place may be a new structure or hot parking lot.

We need to nurture trees and gardens in places where we live and work. It's good to plan for a lifetime when you plant a tree. As arborists, we say: "Please, kokua" and "Plant the right tree in the right place." You don't want a giant banyan or a potentially huge monkeypod in a tiny yard or skinny median strip. It is tree abuse to stuff a big tree in a tiny plot and then chop and mutilate it to fit.

As a landscape designer, I always tell people to study their gardens, thinking about what they really want to grow: flowers, fruit, veggies, flavorful herbs, native Hawaiian, or just pretty and easy-to-care-for foliage. Gardeners need to know how much maintenance they want to do, who will do it, and plan their garden and landscape projects before sticking something in the ground. One of my tasks as a sustainable-landscape consultant is to help gardeners have fun and feel satisfied with their precious 'aina.

While scratching out a plan, don't just draw a circle on paper. Look up. Are there power lines overhead? Will the shade of a neighbor's house or towering apartment building block light (and wind, air circulation) for your little tree that could one day be a nice fruitful mango or lychee, a lovely fragrant flowered pua kenikeni or an epic native Hawaiian 'ohi'a lehua or koki'o ke'oke'o?

A grass-roots community organization dedicated to keeping historic Manoa Valley community cool and green, Malama o Manoa will on Sunday host its third 1,000 Trees Giveaway at Manoa District Park pavilion, off Lowrey Avenue.

Trees — dozens of fruit, shade and endemic ones — and various other plants will be up for grabs between 8 a.m. and noon. As in past years, arborists will be available to answer questions and give advice on the care and planting of trees; Boy Scouts from Troop 1 will help load trees into cars; and members of The Outdoor Circle, led by Mary Steiner, will be on hand to help in any way needed.

Akamai Arborists including Steve Nimz, Dudley Hulbert (who lives in Manoa), Greg Severino, Doug DeMoss and I will be on hand to talk story about the trees and help people make choices for their gardens.

This year, the varieties of trees and plants available include kukui or candlenut (our state tree), monkeypod, historic hau (from Queen Ka'ahumanu's former Manoa property), plumeria, papaya, mango, mountain apple, milo, dwarf hau, banana, native Hawaiian lei makers' favorite 'ohi'a lehua, red and green ti leaf, white fig, money tree, and the fragrant koki'o ke'oke'o (native Hawaiian white hibiscus), avocado, false wiliwili, neem (originally from India) and many more.

Storyteller Pono Shim, who has lived in Manoa all his life, will share his knowledge about growing and nurturing kalo, or taro.

"Everyone is getting excited about growing kalo in their yard. We need to kanu (grow) papayas and all kinds of stuff to eat in our yard, " Shim said. "Your own community is a place to farm and garden and grow food for your family and friends."

Honolulu is designated as a "Tree City, USA," which means that we have both mature and upcoming canopies as well as laws and ordinances in place to protect historical and rare trees. Still, our urban tree count is diminishing day by day. In Manoa, like many of our shady old communities, as new construction abounds, trees disappear.

Negative changes in neighborhoods and urban forests start subtly. Over time, the transformation is evident. We need to keep that green balance.

Trees are needed to give us and future generations a good quality of life.

Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant. Send questions to: Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com.