(BIVN) – Officials are reminding the public that Hawaiʻi forest reserves are not to be used as dumping grounds, following the discovery of roughly 200 rubber tires on the Puʻu ʻŌhiʻa Trail on Oʻahu.

The trail where the tires were dumped is in the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve.

The Hawaiʻi DLNR DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) issued a news release on Tuesday, in which officials also tried to deter the dumping of green waste in the state forest reserves.

Green waste can spread invasive plants and insects, like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle.

A pile of green waste illegally dumped in Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve in April 2026 (photo courtesy Hawaiʻi DLNR)

“Public Forest Reserves belong to everyone,” said Oʻahu branch DOFAW Forestry Management Supervisor Ryan Peralta. “They are not landfills for personal use. The Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve provides fresh water to hundreds of thousands of people and dumping trash there threatens the water supply.” 

Hawaiʻi’s Forestry Reserve System includes roughly 700,000 acres, about half of all forested land in Hawaiʻi. 

“These are public lands managed for the benefit of the people of Hawaiʻi and are meant to provide fresh drinking water, native species habitat, recreation opportunities, resources for cultural practices and economic opportunities through sustainable timber sourcing,” the DLNR news release stated. “Treating Hawaiʻi’s unique forests with respect is part our collective responsibility to protect them for future generations.” 

Suspected forest reserve violations can be reported to the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) at 808-643-DLNR.