‘Planting Christmas’ campaign offers live, native alternative to cut holiday trees, funds to support local tree farm and locally made ‘Plant a Wish’ documentary film

Decorate a Live, Native Ohia for the Holidays!

MAKAWAO, HI, November 29 – Plant a Wish, a Maui-based native tree planting project that recently completed a mission to plant native trees in all 50 states, is back for a fifth consecutive year with its ‘Planting Christmas’ native Christmas tree sale and fundraising campaign. Starting today, Maui residents can begin placing orders on live, potted native ohi‘a lehua trees that have been pre-selected for decorating and displaying during the holidays. Each order includes free delivery, with all proceeds supporting the Plant a Wish project. Interested buyers can also request planting assistance, or may plant their holiday tree with Plant a Wish at an active native restoration site on Maui.

In 2007, ‘Plant a Wish’ co-founder and Makawao resident Joseph Imhoff initiated ‘Planting Christmas’, an annual project that initiates community support of the local native tree farming economy and encourages native habitat restoration in everyone’s backyard. As an expansion of his tree efforts on Maui, in 2010 Imhoff and his wife Sara Tekula began Plant a Wish, a 50-state native tree planting campaign and documentary film project. The couple completed their 50-state mission this year, on November 5^th, with a grand finale in Hawaii in celebration of Arbor Day.

‘Planting Christmas’ trees may also be purchased as gifts and can be delivered to other Maui residents. For off-island residents, native tree dedications are also available, where customers can send gift cards and planting certificates to friends and family members. All proceeds from these sales support ‘Plant a Wish’, now in the post-production phase of its’ nonprofit documentary film project.

While searching for the perfect items for this year’s inventory, Imhoff decided on red ohi’a lehua, in the following sizes:

• Ohi‘a Lehua – Medium – $70 (About 3 ft tall in 5 gallon pots)
• Ohi‘a Lehua – Large – $110 (About 5 ft tall in 7 gallon pots)
• Ohi‘a Lehua – Extra-Large – Available upon request

“In our travels across the country, we have learned a great deal about the importance of native biodiversity in each local landscape,” says Imhoff. “While visiting most neighborhoods on Maui it’s rare to see any native plants growing. For the last 5 years, we have been changing this, one Christmas tree at a time.”

For more information, or to order your tree for the 2011 holiday season, please call Joseph Imhoff at 808-250-1469, or email your order to joe@plantawish.org. To purchase the trees online, customers can make secure payments at http://www.plantawish.org/planting-christmas