Tree Service in Royal Kunia, HI

Royal Kunia sits just north of Waipahu, bounded by Interstate H-1 on the south and Kunia Road on the west, at an elevation of about 440 feet. Earlier censuses counted it as the Village Park CDP. Tree Service in Royal Kunia is mostly for subdivision homes: front-yard shade trees, rows of palms, fruit trees in the back, and the odd tree planted a few feet too close to the house.

The beetle connection

The Kunia area matters in the story of the coconut rhinoceros beetle on Oahu. After the first trap catch at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in 2013, the beetle stayed mostly around Pearl Harbor for a few years. In 2017 the CRB Response program found it in Kunia, which it describes as an area with abundant breeding material and host plants. From there the spread picked up, reaching south Mililani and Waimanalo in 2018.

If you have coconut palms in Royal Kunia, take a close look at the newest fronds. The beetle bores into the crown and leaves fronds with clean V-shaped cuts as they unfold. Report suspected damage. Keep the crown clean, take dead palms and stumps out promptly, and do not stockpile green waste or bring in mulch from unknown sources. Our crews remove palm debris the same day.

Upland weather

At 440 feet, Royal Kunia is higher than the Pearl Harbor shore, and many homes are on gently sloping streets that catch the trades. Trees with dense crowns on open lots take more wind load. A light thinning that lets wind pass through the canopy, and a reduction of the longest limbs over the roof, go a long way. We do not top trees; the regrowth is weaker than what was there.

A family neighborhood

Census QuickFacts shows a 77.8% owner-occupancy rate and an average of 3.28 people per household in Royal Kunia, with a median owner-occupied value of $862,400. Most homes have been lived in by the same family for years, and the landscape trees have grown with them. The jobs we see most:

• Structural pruning on trees planted when the homes were new
• Raising canopies over driveways and sidewalks
• Cleaning coconut and other palms
• Removing trees whose roots are pushing on walls or slabs
• Stump grinding after removals so the yard can be replanted

Before you prune

Check whether your association has rules on tree removal or replacement. If a tree is in the right-of-way, it belongs to the city. Anything touching or close to the main power lines should be reported to Hawaiian Electric, which asks the public to keep ten feet away from energized lines. The line from the pole to your house is your responsibility to keep clear, and we can help with that as long as the work stays a safe distance from it or HECO de-energizes it first.

Plant for the space

When a tree has to come out, it is worth replacing it with something that fits. On a typical subdivision lot that means a tree that stays modest in height, planted well away from the house, the driveway and the service line. We can grind the old stump deep enough for a replacement to go in close to the same spot.

Call (808) 746-9674 or use the form for an on-site estimate. Get a free estimate