Impact of feral herbivores on mamane forests of Mauna Kea, Hawaii: bark stripping and diameter class structure

Author:

Scowcroft, Paul G., Sakai, Howard F.

Title:

Impact of feral herbivores on mamane forests of Mauna Kea, Hawaii: bark stripping and diameter class structure

Periodical:

Journal of Range Management

Year:

1983

Volume:

36

Pages:

495-498

Subject:

Mamane Sophora Chrysophylla Palila Feral ungulates

Summary:

The mamane (Sophora chrysophylla), is an endemic leguminous tree that plays a vital role in the survival of the Palila (Psittirostra bailleui), an endangered endemic bird that is found only in the scrub forests on the island of Hawaii. Growing between the 6000 - 9500 foot elevation of Mauna Kea, the Palila depends on the mamane trees for food, shelter, and nest sites and it is likely that the Palila could not survive without these trees. However, the mamane is also a preferred tree on which feral sheep (Ovis aries), feral goats (Capra hircus), and Mouflon sheep (Ovis musimons), browse as these animals eat the shoots, leaves, flowers, and, in particular, the thin bark of the young trees. As a result, this study was done in an effort to determine the intensity of bark stripping of the mamane within the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve/Game Management Area and to describe the diameter class structure of the mamane in the areas that were sampled. The four areas that were selected for this study were the Puu Laau, Kaluamakani, Hale Pohaku, and Pohakuloa areas of the island of Hawaii as browsing pressures differed among these areas as did the vegetation.

Label:

Botany - Mamane

URL:

http://digitalcommons.library.arizona.edu/objectviewer?o=http%3A%2F%2Fjrm.library.arizona.edu%2FVolume36%2FNumber4%2Fazu_jrm_v36_n4_495_498_m.pdf

Date:

1983

Collection:

Periodicals