By David Bryant, Director of Communications
What if we viewed our homes, neighborhoods, and communities as fertile ground for biocultural renewal? Imagine urban spaces transformed into flourishing community forests—places where ecological health meets human well-being, where abundance flows between people and plants.
In Hawaiian culture, the Wao Kānaka—the realm of people—teaches us that the spaces we inhabit are intertwined with ʻāina (the land). This relationship is reciprocal: as we care for the land, it nurtures and sustains us in return. Cultivating community forests honors this vital bond. In proclaiming 2025 as the Year of Our Community Forests, Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green celebrates this connection, highlighting the critical role of trees and green spaces in the Wao Kānaka, “where we live, learn, and play.”
At the National Tropical Botanical Garden, this vision comes to life through community forestry initiatives that blend ecological restoration with cultural renewal.
What Is a Community Forest?
A community forest can take many forms, but at its core, it is a shared landscape where people engage with plants for mutual benefit. These spaces are as diverse as the communities they serve, ranging from food forests with multi-layered edible canopies to urban parks and preserved native ecosystems. Unlike many large-scale agricultural systems, community forests are inseparable from the needs, values, and cultures of their caretakers. By fostering localized, sustainable food systems, community forests offer meaningful pathways toward food sovereignty, empowering communities to grow, share, and sustain resources on their own terms.
As we build greater biocultural understanding at NTBG, we reflect on the ways our network is engaging with community forestry to nurture flourishing relationships between people, plants, and places. These examples illustrate how tailored, place-based approaches can address local needs, inspire stewardship, and demonstrate the vital role of community forestry in fostering both ecological and cultural resilience.
Breadfruit. Photo by Neal Uno
Breadfruit — the quintessential community forest tree
About a decade ago, NTBG’s Breadfruit Institute launched the Plant a Tree of Life—Grow ʻUlu campaign, distributing over 10,000 breadfruit trees across Hawaiʻi. This initiative aimed to raise awareness, increase access to breadfruit (ʻulu in Hawaiian), and revive its use as a staple crop deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture. By placing trees in the hands of individuals, schools, and organizations, the program nurtured not just food security but also a profound connection between communities and this resilient, climate-adaptive crop.
Research by Breadfruit Institute coordinator Noel Dickinson has shed light on the program’s lasting impact. Growers reported cultivating not only abundant food but also a sense of pride and community through stewardship of this culturally significant tree. Breadfruit’s low maintenance, adaptability, and generous yields have fueled local food networks, reducing reliance on imported produce and bolstering food security. As Noel’s master’s thesis highlights: “Breadfruit appears to be a key component of a food safety net, supplementing store-bought produce and supporting food security during socio-economic shocks.” Her findings reveal how Kaua‘i’s growers are embracing breadfruit cultivation as a pathway to resilience, often sharing harvests within community networks.
An important insight from the study is the limited availability of Hawaiian ‘ulu varieties. While most distributed trees were non-Hawaiian varieties, growers expressed a strong desire to perpetuate Hawaiian culture by cultivating traditional plants. Increasing access to heritage ʻulu trees presents a vital opportunity for biocultural conservation.
The success of the distribution program underscores the importance of accessible planting initiatives that prioritize culturally significant species and offer long-term education. Despite challenges like pests and variable yields, the overwhelmingly positive outcomes demonstrate breadfruit’s potential as a cornerstone of food forests and sustainable agriculture in Hawaiʻi and beyond.
The Breadfruit Institute builds on this vision through the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry (ROBA) demonstration in Lāwaʻi Valley’s McBryde Garden. Since August 2017, this two-acre agroforest has showcased the power of small-scale, sustainable food systems, producing more than 50,000 pounds of produce for staff and local food banks. ROBA stands as a living model of how agroforestry principles can foster food security, promote ecological health, and support biocultural connections. By empowering individuals to grow breadfruit within thriving agroforests, the Breadfruit Institute is working to inspire a future where regenerative food systems flourish once again in our communities.
Noel Dickinson. Photo by Erica Taniguchi
Grow Aloha: Expanding Roots Statewide
In March of 2024, NTBG built on the legacy of plant adoption programs like Tree of Life-Grow ʻUlu and with the Molokaʻi Land Trust launched Grow Aloha, a monthly giveaway series designed to deepen relationships between Hawaiʻi residents and Hawaiian plants. The program places our community at the heart of biocultural restoration efforts, offering native plants and heritage crops that are ecologically vital and culturally significant. “How to grow” videos and a Grow Aloha podcast episode (available on Spotify) for each plant inspires horticultural success and stronger connections with these cherished plants. So far, over 2,000 plants have been adopted representing 40 species and 60 zip codes across Hawai‛i.
This year, Grow Aloha has gone statewide as part of Hawai‘i’s Year of Our Community Forests campaign. Bishop Museum, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, and Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden have joined Grow Aloha, offering adoption locations on nearly every major island. By expanding the program, we are encouraging more people to build up their relationship with Hawaiian plants and support the biocultural restoration of our built environment.
Kampong’s living laboratory of food forests
At The Kampong, our Miami garden, community forestry thrives in delicious and innovative ways, continuing a legacy of tropical crop exploration. Once home to Dr. David Fairchild, a plant explorer for the United States Department of Agriculture, The Kampong has long been a hub for introducing tropical crops to American diets. Fairchild brought cultivars of mango, avocado, dates, oranges, and many more to the U.S., naming his home “The Kampong,” inspired by traditional Malaysian villages he encountered during his expeditions. These kampongs often feature rich food forests, where layers of edible, medicinal, and utilitarian plants grow together, sustaining daily life and cultivating a generational connection with the land.
Today, The Kampong’s Food Forest exhibit brings this concept to life in South Florida, integrating ecological principles with community needs. This living system produces fresh, nutritious crops using a multi-layered approach combining a canopy of edible fruit trees with a vibrant undergrowth of perennial herbs, greens, and vegetables. Harvests are donated to the local food pantries and the community.
This initiative demonstrates how any space—regardless of size—can contribute to a community forest. As Nina Jungman, operations manager at The Kampong explains, “A food forest copies the structure and function of a natural forest, but everything from the ground up is edible. It’s not about the size but the intention—layered systems that serve people and our shared ecosystems.” Drawing inspiration from local food forests, which are celebrated for their utility and resilience, The Kampong envisions expanding into container gardening and creating accessible designs for urban spaces, hoping to inspire visitors to create food forests even in the smallest areas.
The Kampong’s Food Forest serves as a place where urban communities can connect with plants. As Nina puts it, “You may say you don’t care about plants, but I’m 100% certain you care about what you eat.” The Kampong is introducing students to the power of edible landscapes through K-12 education programs, while collaborations with the International Center for Tropical Botany at The Kampong explore culturally significant crops such as Haitian basket vine. By reconnecting people to the origins of their food, The Kampong continues its commitment to plant exploration and education, proving that caring for plants means caring for ecosystems, communities, and our shared future.
Kupu interns working in the Kahanu Preserve. Photo by Jocelyn Hūʻeu
Preserving Cultural Connections at Limahuli and Kahanu
NTBG’s Limahuli and Kahanu preserves offer compelling examples of how conservation and cultural perpetuation support one another. These profound places safeguard Hawaiian biodiversity and culture. By engaging community members in restoration efforts—offering access to ancestral places and plants—these preserves help sustain the inextricable connections between people, plants, and ‘āina.
At Limahuli, biocultural conservation initiatives focus on the bonds woven between people and plants, including species like olonā, the strongest plant fiber in the world, and pāpala, used in famed fire-brand ceremonies. Spanning over 1,000 acres, the Limahuli Preserve is stewarded as an ahupuaʻa—a traditional Hawaiian land division extending from ridge to reef. The ahupuaʻa land management practice and perspective is carried out in the footprint of our team’s Hawaiian ancestors, and reflects the health of the watershed.
Kahanu Preserve, home to one of Hawai‛i’s few remaining coastal hala forests, is both a refuge for native plants and a space for perpetuating traditional practices. Biocultural restoration efforts in the preserve enhance the forest’s ecological role while fostering cultural connections, demonstrating how community forestry can integrate cultural traditions with ecological resilience. In 2024, our teams completed comprehensive botanical surveys, enabling staff and partners to better understand the preserve’s biodiversity, prioritize areas in need of attention, and document the rich natural resources along the coastline. Through the iNaturalist platform, NTBG is sharing findings from these surveys, inviting the broader community to virtually explore this vibrant ecosystem.
The Future of Community Forests
As Hawai‘i celebrates the Year of Our Community Forests, NTBG envisions a future where these spaces are more abundant, accessible, and inclusive. From expanding edible canopies in urban neighborhoods to restoring native ecosystems in our preserves, the underlying ethos of community forestry offers a path toward resilience and renewal. It invites all of us to reimagine our relationship with plants—not just as resources to be used but as partners in creating a thriving, sustainable world.
