The story of the forests of Hawaii

Author:

Judd, C.S.

Title:

The story of the forests of Hawaii

Periodical:

Paradise of the Pacific

Year:

1927

Volume:

40

Pages:

9-18

Subject:

Forests ecology Rain forest ecology Hawaii Island Hawaii social life and customs Cattle

Summary:

In discussing the natural resources of the Hawaiian forest regions and their conservation, the author divided the recent times in Hawaii into the Pre-discovery, Sandalwood, Cattle, and Water Conservation periods. During the Pre-discovery Period, the author describes how wood was used by the Hawaiians and how their land divisions or ahupuaa generally consisted of a long, narrow strip of land that extended from the sea to the top of the mountain range. This allowed the chiefs to use the ocean for fishing, the beach for canoe landings, the lowland for dwelling sites and taro patches, and the sun for the cultivation of sweet potatoes. He describes how the mountain region was used for wood and how various plant materials provided comfort, convenience, pleasure, religious observations, defense, and how it provided for the transportation of the pioneer settlers. During the Sandalwood Period, the author tells of how the Hawaiians used the soft and sturdier parts of various trees such as the wauke, mamaki, breadfruit, wiliwili, koa, ahkea, ohia lehua, and the hard wood of the Hawaiian ebony, were used to make clothing, build grass huts, poi boards, calabashes, platters, surf boards, canoes, idols, tide gates in fish pond walls, and sacred enclosures. Mention is also made of how the oil from the kukui nut shells was used to waterproof canoes and how the ironlike wood of the kauila was used to make spears, daggers, and clubs in the absence of steel. Lastly, the author tells of how the kaimanu or masters of birdcraft and woodcraft retired and made their home in the wooded solitudes of the interior portion of the forest for long periods in order to capture the forest birds. This supplied the yellow, red, green and black feathers that were required for the decorative use of plumage in the form of capes, helmets, leis, or kahilis. In spite of the fact that the foresters thought of the Hawaiian forests as "supply forests", there is no evidence to show that their dependence on the forest for wood caused any undue drain upon the forest or resulted in its deterioration. It is felt that the introduction of the first cattle that was brought to the islands by Captain George Vancouver in 1794 played a prominent part in the destruction of the forest. This event occurred just before it was discovered that the oily heartwood of the sandalwood tree, (that was used for incense), had a value in the Canton market which gave Hawaii its start in the commercial world. While large quantities of wood were exported between 1810 and 1825, and while the trade led to tyranny, oppression, and death, that caused the Hawaiian people to suffer cruelly as a famine resulted due to improper crop cultivation, the damage that was caused to the forests by the sandalwood market was insignificant compared to the damage that was caused by the introduction of cattle as the damage to the forest that was caused by the cattle lasted for a much longer period of time. It was during the Cattle Period that the strong fibers of the olona tree was popular among the whalers from which they made harpoon lines and when numerous whaling vessels used native timbers for minor ship repairs. It was also during this period when thousands of acres of native jungle were cleared during the early development of the sugar plantations and when large tracts of government lands were used for the opening of for the coffee homesteads. While these industries likely contributed to the destruction of thousands of acres of forests, the resulting damage was insignificant compared to the damage that was caused by the unrestricted grazing of cattle on the mountain slopes -- especially since a taboo had been placed on the slaughter of cattle. This allowed the cattle population to increase to the point that caused them to become a menace to the forests. As a result, the integrity of the native forests was affected as the cattle feasted on the ie-ie vines, ti, banana plants, and some of the ferns and native grasses. This caused the native forest to be pushed back to an inaccessible and irregularly-shaped area in the center of the eight main Hawaiian Islands which is probably only one quarter of the total land area of these islands. As a result, the severely reduced forested areas then became the protector of water production as was essential to industries such as agriculture. Hence, the Water Conservation period. However, since the supply of water was not inexhaustible, it was imperative that a thick jungle of ferns, moss, and debris on the ground as well as a forest of tall trees be preserved in an effort to prevent the supply of water from rushing in a torrent to the sea. As a result, it was imperative that the forest growth of the water-producing watersheds of Hawaii be closed to interference by either man or beast as only a sufficient forest cover over the watersheds that would accomplish this.

Label:

Ecology - Rain Forests

Collection:

Periodicals