Liliuokalani Gardens tree maintenance starts April 13, may close Lihiwai Street

All of the trees across Liliʻuokalani Gardens’ 24-acre Hilo park are set for a 45-day maintenance project beginning April 13, with county officials saying the work is meant to keep park users safe while protecting the long-term health of the canopy that frames the gardens and Moku Ola.

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Parks and Recreation said the job will run Mondays through Fridays, excluding state holidays, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ashton’s Landscape & Tree Service will do the work under the supervision of an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist. Safety zones will be marked with signage and barricades, and Lihiwai Street may be closed periodically, depending on conditions.

The county said the project is intended to safeguard park users, support the trees’ long-term health and enhance the character and beauty of one of Hilo’s best-known public spaces. That matters at a park where the Japanese-style garden covers a little more than 20 acres and Moku Ola, also known as Coconut Island, takes up a little more than three acres. Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens in Hilo says the site traces back to April 3, 1917, when the territorial legislature designated land at Makaoku for a public park in memory of Queen Liliʻuokalani.

This is the second significant tree maintenance project at Liliʻuokalani Gardens in the past year. In July 2025, county crews focused on trees that posed immediate safety hazards, with part of Lihiwai Street temporarily closed while access to Moku Ola and the Isles remained open. The county has said its tree maintenance work at the park and at Reeds Bay Beach Park is ongoing, underscoring the pressure to stay ahead of aging growth before it turns into a larger hazard.

For visitors and nearby users, the practical changes will be straightforward but real: expect work crews throughout the park, follow posted warnings, and avoid barricaded areas while the trimming and maintenance continue through late May if the schedule holds. The project is aimed at preserving the trees that define the garden’s landscape, but it also signals that the county is still working through the maintenance demands of a major public park whose upkeep carries both safety and historic weight.