MEDIA RELEASE
Big Island police have initiated a felony theft case in connection with trees that were cut and removed from WaiÄkea High School in Hilo.
The three kou trees, ranging from 20- to 30-feet high, were cut down sometime between 5 p.m. Monday (May 9) and 6 a.m. Tuesday (May 10). Their combined estimated value was $4,500.
Police ask that anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or who knows anything about this case call Officer Cory Hasegawa at 961-2213 or the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Can anyone please tell me what species is called a “ku’u tree”.
I have checked every reference I have from Pukui’s Hawaiian Dictionary to Wagner et al.’s Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii….
I can not find any listing by that name.
Mahalo
Contacted Waiakea High School. The trees that were stolen were Kou trees. We regret the error submitted to us. It’s now corrected.
Cordia subcordata (kou)
http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Cordia-kou.pdf