Our tent under the Tree That Owns Itself. We took it down that night in a lightning and tornado storm and found refuge in a friend's guest house nearby.

9. Witnessing the Largest Dam Removal in U.S. History (Olympic National Park, WA)

Click the image to watch the Dam come down. We planted the first tree of the Elwha River Restoration project, where the lake is being drained back into the Elwha River.

8. Standing on Kayford Mountain, West Virginia

Joe filming mountain top removal site on Kayford Mountain, home of Larry Gibson and the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation.

7. Airboats and Alligators in the Everglades (Florida)

We saw alligators galore and covered a lot of ground, thanks to Mack's Fish Camp.

6. Visit to Grove of Oldest Living Trees on Earth (Bishop, CA)

Trees in Methuselah Grove, Inyo National Forest, CA

5. Full Moon Canoe Trip down Mississippi River (Clarksdale, MS)

A canoe with a view. Thanks to John Ruskey and the Mighty Quawpaws!

4. Wolverine Sighting! (Lake Yellowstone, Wyoming)

Not our photo. Our night-time wolverine encounter was over in a flash, but the memory stays with us forever.

3. Meeting and Interviewing our Heroes

Dr. Cleve Backster, father of bio-communication research, just one of the many heroes we got to interview for the Plant a Wish film.

2. Earth Day at Four Corners Monument

We planted in all four states in one day and re-vegetated the Four Corners Monument: Earth Day 2011! (Thanks to Navajo Parks, Al Schneider & Four Corners Native Plant Society!)

1. The Tour Finale! (Hawaii)

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa and his wife Ann joined us to plant the final tree, meanwhile over a thousand trees were planted through out the state on November 5th, the day of our finale!

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

Decorate an Ohia Tree for the Holidays

Plant a Wish is back for a fifth consecutive year  with ‘Planting Christmas’, a live, native Christmas tree sale and fundraising campaign that offers an alternative to displaying imported, cut evergreen trees in our homes. 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.

Please click on the images below to select your tree(s). You will be taken to our secure checkout. (All major credit cards accepted, as well as PayPal.)

Ohi‘a Lehua (MEDIUM: 3' tall, 5 gallon pot)

Ohi‘a Lehua (LARGE: 5' Tall, 7 gallon pot)