top rounded corners
pad
  • Increase font size
  • Decrease font size
  • Default font size
pad
Seach Sponsored by Road Runner
pad
KGMB9.com: DTV Countdown
Hawaii Goes Digital
Christmas Trees Bring More Than Holiday Cheer Print E-mail
Written by KGMB9 News - news@kgmb9.com   
November 23, 2008 04:59 PM

 
About a hundred containers of Christmas trees have arrived from the Pacific northwest. Many say it marks the start of Christmas in Hawaii.

"It's like being Santa Claus, it's part of kicking off the holiday season," said Gary Nakamatsu, Vice President of Sales at Matson.

Before the trees even leave the dock, inspectors with the Department of Agriculture check each container thoroughly and selected trees get a shakedown for invasive species.

"We're looking for any type of hitchhikers, insects, slugs, snails, even small animals. If it gets into the environment, into the urban areas, it could be a potential health or an agricultural environmental problem," said Glenn Sakamoto, Department of Agriculture.

Crews found a batch of bugs in two containers while inspecting a smaller shipment earlier this week.

"We found some heavy infestation of slugs not found here in Hawaii," said Sakamoto.

"We have to ship them back to the shipper in Oregon," said Nakamatsu.

Once they're cleared, the trees will make their way all over the state.

"They go to various retailers and fund raisers, some of them will end up going to the neighbor islands," said Nakamatsu.

So you can rest assure that the only thing your Christmas tree will bring to your home is holiday cheer.



Digg!Reddit!Del.icio.us!Google!Facebook!Slashdot!Technorati!StumbleUpon!Newsvine!Furl!Fark!Yahoo!Ma.gnolia!
Last Updated ( December 01, 2008 11:01 PM )
 

Flyaway with The Prodigy

Enter To Win BJ Penn vs. St-Pierre LIVE in Las Vegas

9 Online - Morning

Subscribe to receive 9 Online

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner!

9 Online - Afternoon

Subscribe to receive 9 Online

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner!

DTV Countdown


Sunrise on KGMB9

Sunrise on KGMB9
Weekdays 4:30-8am

Join Steve, Grace, Jeff, Ramsay, Howard and the rest of the Sunrise crew every weekday morning for the latest local news, weather and traffic on the 9s, and all the fun you've come to expect from Sunrise on KGMB9!

Wake Up With Us

KGMB9.com Interactive

Storm Patrol
KGMB9's Storm Patrol

Be a part of KGMB9's Storm Patrol and tell us the weather in your neighborhood. We want video and pictures straight from you.

Join the Team

The Inauguration

The Inauguration
LIVE coverage
from Washington, D.C.
Starting January 18, 2009

Join KGMB9's Grace Lee and Stacy Loe LIVE from Washington D.C. for The Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.

Learn More

hawaii.womf.com

hawaii.womf.com
Hawaii's New
Word of Mouth Forum

Have a favorite local business or service? Share your experiences with them on the new Word of Mouth Forum and help Hawaii's businesses thrive in this challenging economy.

Make Your Voice Heard

KGMB9 Sports Presents

Road to Redemption
Warrior Football
Road to Redemption

Stay tuned for our Hawaii Bowl preview special, 'Warrior Football: Road to Redemption,' only on KGMB9.

Watch Online Soon

bottom rounded corners