(BIVN) – The community is being invited to provide input on a project to protect native forest lands on Kohala Mountain.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources issued a news release this week, detailing the new project to protect 1,200 acres of the Puʻu o ʻUmi Natural Area Reserve and adjacent private lands near Puʻu Ahia.
The project is a collaborative effort between the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Pili Nā Moku Project, and the Kohala Watershed Partnership.
DOFAW has produced an educational StoryMap entitled “Expanding Protection of Our Kohala Forest”, which describes the benefits, management challenges and next steps in the project. Through the StoryMap, the community can also sign up to visit the area on June 27 to talk story with project partners and learn more.
“Protection of the Puʻu Ahia area is instrumental in safeguarding Kohala’s water and native forest species,” stated Mahina Patterson, coordinator of the Kohala Watershed Partnership, in a news release. “This remote upland forest has a variety of plants, ferns, mosses, insects and birds who have inhabited Kohala since time immemorial and are kinolau of akua like Laka, a goddess of the forest and hula. The collection of these native species works in harmony to help capture water that recharges streams and aquifers, which ultimately feed communities of North and South Kohala and parts of Hāmākua.”
From the Hawaiʻi DLNR news release:
As Hawaiʻi trends drier and hotter, protection of Kohala’s native forest becomes increasingly pivotal.
“This past year’s historically severe drought in Kohala is a reminder that we need to manage and protect the forested watersheds that are the source of water for our communities and farms,” said DOFAW Native Ecosystems Manager Emma Yuen. “We are excited to finally give this ancient forest the protection it needs, so current and future generations can continue to benefit from the fresh water it provides. If we wait much longer, it will be too late.”
The urgency to protect these forests has increased significantly because of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, which is exacerbated by wounds from feral pigs barking and rubbing on ʻōhiʻa trees. Studies have shown two to 69 times more suspected dead ʻōhiʻa trees in unfenced areas with feral pigs, compared to neighboring areas that are fenced and protected.
The proposed project would use multiple strategies to preserve Puʻu Ahia’s natural resources. Crews would construct a fence that includes gates and stepovers for public access, while excluding invasive hoofed animals. The project would remove Himalayan ginger and other invasive species, as well as invasive animals within the protected area. The project aims to minimize impacts to hunters by placing the fence in a remote, infrequently used area.
