DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM Among those recommending the earpod tree be removed is Abner Undan, a certified arborist with Trees of Hawaii.

Exceptional tree
at the zoo to be felled

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Star-Bulletin staff

A 75-year-old earpod tree, listed on the state's exceptional tree register, will be cut down next Wednesday at the Honolulu Zoo due to prolonged sickness.

The tree, with a weakened structure and falling branches, may be a safety hazard for zoo visitors, Barry Fukunaga, director of the city Department of Enterprise Services, said yesterday in a news release.

Zoo Director Ken Redman said a monkeypod tree will be planted in the earpod's place, which is near the stage on the zoo's main lawn area.

The Outdoor Circle, an environmental group, has been tracking the tree's condition for at least five years, said Mary Steiner, the organization's chief executive officer. The group had advocated saving the tree but changed its position after the tree shed two branches in recent months. The tree's slow decline is due largely to improper maintenance decades ago, Steiner said. Arborist Abner Undan had recommended removal of the tree in 2000.