Hawaii's dry forests

Author:

Bruegmann, Marie M.

Title:

Hawaii's dry forests

Periodical:

Endangered Species Bulletin

Year:

1996

Volume:

21

Pages:

26-27

Subject:

Forest ecology Tropical dry forests

Summary:

Hawaii has many types of habitats, including unique dry forests that receive as little as 10 - 55 inches of rain per year. The dry climate not only makes for a biologically-diverse ecosystem in these forested areas, it also makes these areas the most desired locations for development in the Hawaiian Islands. While most of the native vegetation of the dry forests is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, 90 percent of the dry forests in the islands have already been destroyed with the area of North Kona containing at least five endangered species of vegetation as follows: the uhiuhi (Caesalpinia kavalensis), the kauila (Colubrina oppositifolia), the aupaka (Isodendrion pyrifolium), the kokio (Kokia drynarioides), and the aeia (Nothocestrum breviflorum). In addition, it has been proposed that the hala pepe (Pleomele hawaiiensis) also be listed as endangered. Among the numerous threats to the dry forests, the greatest danger is in the North Kona area due to the introduction of animals and plants. Ungulates, that include cattle, feral goats, and sheep, destroy the native plants. This enlarges the disturbed habitat and makes it more available for the introduced fountain grass to invade. This, in turn, makes the native plants more vulnerable to fire. Even though native Hawaiian plants have always been exposed to volcanic flows, fires in this landscape were rare. As a result, the native plants have not evolved to the point to where they are able to survive burning. However, the introduced plants, (especially the grasses), are not only able to survive fire, they are also able to thrive with frequent burns. This not only increases the amount of combustible fuel, it also makes it possible for fires to burn over larger areas. This would result in thousands of dollars in damage in areas that are of great concern to ranchers on the island of Hawaii. Since such events create a ground cover that prevents seed germination and/or growth of young native plant seedlings, it threatens the survival of the native plant species. In an effort to prevent Hawaii's dry forests from fading into the past, organizations such as the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the Hawaii Forests Industry Association, Hualalai Ranch, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Potomac Investment Associates, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working together in North Kona in an effort to restore a dry forest community. A 5-acre site in Kaupulehu North Kona has been fenced where the growth control of the fountain grass is the primary focus and where rat control is also being conducted in an effort to increase the chances of the seed survival of the Hawaiian native plants. It is hoped that the techniques developed at this site may eventually allow for the restoration of hundreds of acres of Hawaii's rarest habitats.

Label:

Ecology - Dry Forests

Date:

1996

Collection:

Periodicals