Hawaii

• Wasps Threaten Hawaiian Forests
• Maui Hawaii Trees May 2008

Haleakala National Park - photo by US National Park Service

Approximately two million acres of land in Hawai‘i are forested; half of them are in private ownership. Hawaii’s forests represent the only Pacific tropical forests in the United States. Hawaii’s endemic trees grow nowhere else on earth. Koa (Acacia koa) is the largest endemic tree in Hawai‘i–the species exists naturally nowhere else in the world. It is the fastest growing of Hawaii’s hardwoods. It can grow as much as an inch in diameter per year, reaching 100 feet in height, attaining a trunk diameter of 5 feet or more. It was historically the material of choice for carved ocean-going canoes.  ‘Ohi‘a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) The ‘Ohi‘a is unique to Hawai‘i. It is one of the trees initially used by native Hawaiians for critical construction applications such as tools, and wear-strips along the gunwales of canoes.  It is the most common endemic tree in the state, can be a major component of mixed forest stands, and is one of the very first trees able to take root on new lava fields. The tree is present in shapes ranging from shrubs to 100 feet in height.  http://www.hawaii-forest.org/guide/forestry.html

Common Forest Trees of Hawaii  http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/trees/little_skolmen.html  

Exceptional Trees of Hawai'i http://www.hawaiitrees.org/

Haleakala National Park http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm The Park preserves the outstanding volcanic landscape of the upper slopes of Haleakala on the island of Maui and protects the unique and fragile ecosystems of Kipahulu Valley, the scenic pools along Oheo Gulch, and many rare and endangered species. Haleakala, originally part of Hawaii National Park, was redesignated as a separate entity in July 1961. Haleakala National Park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980. Of its 30,183 acres, 24,719 acres are designated wilderness.

photo by US National Park Service

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution -- processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems and a distinct human culture. The park encompasses diverse environments that range from sea level to the summit of the earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, offers scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands and visitors views of dramatic volcanic landscapes. 

Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife http://www.dofaw.net/ 

Hawaii Forest Industry Association http://www.hawaii-forest.org/guide/forestry.html Today, at the dawn of another century, private interests, community groups and government agencies continue to recognize forests as an investment in our future. Healthy forests play an important role in protecting native ecosystems and important watersheds. Well managed forests, with or without harvesting, also can help Hawai‘i develop a sustainable and diverse economy based on renewable resources. 

Hawaii Forest Bird Interagency Database Project http://biology.usgs.gov/pierc/PLWoodworthDB.htm  In 1976-1983, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (now USGS-Biological Resources Division) conducted systematic surveys of forest birds and plant communities as part of the Hawaii Forest Bird Surveys (HFBS) (Scott et al. 1986) (Fig. 1). Results of this effort have proven to be an important conservation tool during the past two decades, but population estimates and range maps are now out of date. We present a comprehensive inventory of all forest bird census data collected over the last 25 years in a centralized, standardized, relational database.

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