Leave Hawaiʻi Better Than You Found It: Help Grow a Native Forest

This article is sponsored by Terraformation. Full disclosure.

What if the best souvenir from your Hawaiʻi trip was a forest you’re helping to grow? Supporting native forest restoration on Hawaiʻi Island is one way to care for the islands beyond your visit. 

Terraformation offers a forest restoration program that plants native and canoe species right here on Hawaiʻi Island. You can choose your own way to leave Hawaiʻi better than you found it, with one-time or ongoing tree-planting subscription support options. 

Many tree-planting programs end with just putting a tree in the ground. Terraformation’s restoration program is different: it covers the work in the nursery from seed to seedling, then planting in the tree’s native Hawaiian habitat, and finally the years of care that follow. 

You can start supporting native Hawaiian forests whenever it works for you: before your trip, after you get home, or even if your Hawaiʻi trip is still in the planning phase.

How native forests protect the Hawaiʻi you visit

Whether you’re hiking a trail or driving through the mountains, Hawaiʻi’s forests shape the scenery around you. And their role extends far beyond the view. 

Healthy native forests capture rainfall and help replenish underground water supplies. 

Their roots also hold soil in place, which helps reduce erosion and the amount of sediment that can eventually reach streams and coral reefs.

According to Hawaiʻi’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, nearly half of the state’s native forests have been lost. Invasive mammals and non-native plants continue to threaten what remains. 

That Mauka to Makai (mountain-to-ocean) connection is easy to miss as a visitor. The forest, freshwater, soil, native wildlife, streams, and reefs aren’t separate things. 

They’re connected. 

Restoring a native forest helps rebuild an ecosystem and restore the ecological connections that sustain it.

How tourism affects the land

Hawaiʻi welcomed 9,642,991 visitors in 2025, according to the state’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. 

That’s millions of people using water and energy, driving local roads, and spending time around beaches, trails, reefs, and other natural areas. 

Mālama ʻāina means caring for the land. It’s a Hawaiian value built around the relationship between people and ʻāina and the responsibility to care for it. 

I don’t think that has to be complicated for us as visitors. 

Supporting native forest restoration is one way to put that idea into practice, including after you’re back home.

What your support helps fund 

Terraformation’s program supports the work that gives young trees a chance to become an established forest. 

A native tree can spend months in a nursery before it’s ready to go into the ground. The restoration site has to be prepared, and the work continues long after planting. 

According to Terraformation, their restoration program helps fund the full process:

What the Program Funds 

Here’s how the restoration team cares for trees at each stage, from seed collection through long-term care.

• Seed collection: Teams gather seeds from native trees during the appropriate seasonal windows. 
• Nursery care: Seedlings are watered, monitored, and gradually prepared for outdoor conditions. 
• Site preparation: Crews clear invasive vegetation and protect young trees from grazing animals. 
• Planting: Trees are matched with the conditions of the site and planted at the appropriate time. 
• Long-term care: Teams continue watering, weeding, monitoring, and checking survival as the forest develops. 

Long-term care is arguably one of the most important parts of the process. Establishing a forest takes years, and continued care helps young trees survive and grow. 

Terraformation’s focus is on restoring a functioning, biodiverse forest rather than simply counting how many trees go into the ground.

How much does the program cost? 

Terraformation offers monthly plans from $5 to $50, along with annual and one-time options. 

The company says $25 represents the cost of supporting one native tree through the full restoration process, from seed collection to long-term care. 

If you choose a subscription with a smaller monthly amount, your contribution adds up over time until it reaches that threshold. 

So a $5 subscription doesn’t pay for a cheaper or partially cared-for tree. It just takes longer for those contributions to add up to the cost of fully supporting one. 

Compare the options → 

Where the trees are planted 

Trees supported through the program are planted at ʻIole in North Kohala on Hawaiʻi Island. 

ʻIole is a nonprofit, place-based research and education center working to restore the Hapahapai watershed. 

Local seed collectors gather seeds from surviving native trees in the area, helping the restoration team grow species suited to that particular place. 

Students from the Kohala community also use the site for hands-on, ʻāina-based education. Restoration should connect to the place and the people caring for it.

Where is ‘Iole located?

Which species are planted 

Supporters contribute to the forest as a whole rather than selecting individual trees. 

The restoration team determines which mix of native species will best support each part of the site. The species below include some of the trees supported through the restoration program at ʻIole, as well as trees Terraformation plants across its other projects in Hawaiʻi.

A healthy forest supports a diverse mix of species rather than a large number of the same one. Those species then interact with the soil, water, and wildlife as part of a connected ecosystem.

When to start 

There isn’t one right time. 

Your connection to Hawaiʻi doesn’t necessarily start when your plane lands or end when you fly home. 

Terraformation says supporters receive monthly email updates and access to a dashboard where they can follow the restoration process from seed collection and nursery care through planting and forest establishment. 

Seeds have to be collected. Seedlings have to grow. Land has to be prepared. And after a tree is planted, someone still has to care for it. 

If you’d like to support that kind of long-term work, you can see Terraformation’s current options below.

Explore Terraformation’s restoration program →

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