Forests and Farming
How Forestry & Wildlife supports agriculture and farming in Hawai'i
At the Division of Forestry & Wildlife, supporting agriculture is part of who we are. The Division of Forestry & Wildlife was the first forestry agency in the nation, and was created in part because Hawaiʻi's farmers understand that their supply of water depends on forests. Farmers and ranchers helped to create Forestry & Wildlife, and have partnered with the division on establishing the Natural Area Reserves , hoofed-animal fencing to protect forests , and controlling invasive species . Forestry & Wildlife now manages a variety of programs that benefit local farmers and encourage diversified agriculture in Hawaiʻi. As Hawaiʻi's agricultural industry changes over time, the need for water (and the forests that provide it) continues to be a top priority. In this StoryMap we explore the historic relationship between Forestry & Wildlife and agriculture, and how our current programs support Hawaiʻi's farmers and ranchers.
A Brief History of Forestry & Wildlife's Relationship to Agriculture
- 1892: The Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry is created as part of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi
- 1903: The new Territory of Hawaiʻi establishes the Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, including creation and management of forest reserves
- 1905: The Forest Reserve System is established in Hawaiʻi. Fencing for livestock exclusion is one of the tools used for forest protection.
- 1959: Upon statehood, the Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry is replaced by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture and Conservation.
- May 11, 1960: The new Board of Land and Natural Resources meets for the first time and includes the director of the Department of Agriculture and Conservation as an automatic, ex-officio board member.
- 1961: The Forestry and Fish and Game Divisions are transferred to the Department of Land and Natural Resources and become the Division of Forestry and Wildlife. The Department of Agriculture and Conservation is renamed as the Department of Agriculture.
- 2003: The interagency Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council is established, co-chaired by the chairpersons of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Council is administratively housed in the Division of Forestry & Wildlife.
Agricultural programs at Forestry & Wildlife
1. Forest Stewardship Program
The Forest Stewardship Program directly funds ranches and farms for agroforestry and invasive species control projects. Agroforestry is the integration of trees and shrubs into crop and/or animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits.
The following definitions are types of agroforestry that the Forest Stewardship Program supports:
Mixed agroforest: Mixed agroforests are closed-canopy forests with high species diversity and complex canopy structure and arrangement installed for food production, controlling invasive species, increasing species diversity, increasing carbon sequestration, or improving water and soil quality, wildlife habitat, and soil erosion control.
Forest farming: Planting of non-timber forest products under a forest canopy that is established, modified or maintained to provide shade and habitat that improve productivity and ecosystem health and diversity.
Alley cropping: Trees or shrubs planted in sets of single or multiple widely-spaced rows, creating “alleys” in which agricultural crops are grown.
Silvopasture: the deliberate integration of trees and grazing livestock operations on the same land as an intensively managed system.
The following map shows a couple examples of DOFAW's Forest Stewardship projects:
Haleakalā Ranch
Hoku Nui
2. Kaulunani Urban & Community Forestry
Kaulunani Urban & Community Forestry program administers financial support in the form of cost-share grants via Kaulunani’s Grant Program. Some of the recipients of of these grants are farmers and agroforestry projects, like the following examples:
Niu Now
Niu Now's main focus is to cultivate niu (coconut) and educate the public about sustainable niu farming. The project began in the fall of 2017 with support from a small grant from UH System’s Sustainability Office, and continues with support from the State Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program and other organizations. Niu Now has three nurseries across O'ahu that have over 20 different varieties of niu. Volunteers comprise niu knowledge holders, farmers, researchers, and aloha ʻāina practitioners.
For more information: Niu Now
Amy Greenwell’s Roots and Shoots Ulu for the Future project
Situated in historic Kealakekua ahupua‘a and overlooking the Bay on Hawai'i island, the 13-acre Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden mission “supports Hawaiian cultural traditions of land use and plants, and conserves the plant resources of traditional Hawaiian cultural activities." Kaulunani's Grant Program funds Amy Greenwell's Roots and Shoots Ulu for the Future Project, which "responds to the challenge of the pandemic and relies on Hawaiian tradition to promote food security, families across our island, beauty, and a greener Hawai’i." The project's garden gives away ulu to the community and teaches community members how to grow their own ulu.
For more information: Roots and Shoots - Ulu for the Future
Kokua Hawaiʻi Foundation‘s Kokua Learning Farm
The Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation (KHF), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2003 by Kim and Jack Johnson, supports environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawai‘i. Their mission is to provide students with experiences that will enhance their appreciation for and understanding of their environment so they will be lifelong stewards of the earth. KHF recently acquired 8 acres of land in the heart of Haleʻiwa town with a vision to establish agricultural, educational, and retail activities that benefit the community and promote local food, waste reduction, and environmental stewardship.
The ʻĀINA Demonstration Gardens area is an expansion of the curriculum garden beds located at many schools around Oʻahu. The Loʻi, Hawaiian Garden, and Native Wetlands serve as a pocket of indigenous landscape supporting native fauna, propagation materials for other similar projects, and a source of lei and laʻau lapaʻau (medicinal) plants for workshops. A few rows of orchard crops, grown to demonstrate principles of mixed agroforestry, support grafting and air-layering workshops for students, as well as provide food for field trips and the ʻĀINA Farm Stand. The production fields contribute to local food systems by growing produce for sale through the ʻĀINA Farm Stand and other vendors.
Photo captions:
(Right) Kōkua Learning Farm Spring Youth Interns plant the first trees in the Kōkua Learning Farm agroforest!
(Left) Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation Co-Founder Jack Johnson and Grow Fruit Hawaiʻi Founder Drew Wilkinson plant a lemon tree in the citrus island section of the Kōkua Learning Farm agroforest
For more information visit their website .
3. Legacy Land Conservation Program
DLNR’s Legacy Land Conservation Program (LLCP) provides grants to community organizations and government agencies that strive to purchase and protect land that shelters exceptional, unique, and endangered resources, including land that has value as a resource to the State for the preservation of agricultural production. Some grantees purchase and operate farmland that fell out of production and is threatened with conversion to other land uses, while others buy a conservation easement that helps keep land in production, under its current ownership, while adding perpetual protections for preservation of additional resource values, such as watershed, habitat, and open space. The following are some LLCP examples:
MA'O Farms
Hakipu'u Lo'i Kalo
Maka‘alae and Mokae
Kaunāmano
Waikapuna
4. Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC)
HISC (an inter-departmental collaboration comprised of the Departments of Land & Natural Resources (DLNR) , Agriculture (DOA) , Health (DOH) , Transportation (DOT) , Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) , and the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) ) is working on many invasive species issues critical for farming and ranching. DLNR funds and administers HISC. For example, HISC provides some of the funding needed to support the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab , coqui control, spittlebug control, rose-ringed parakeet control, coconut rhinoceros beetle control, and axis deer management, which are essential for farming and interisland commerce. HISC also funds biocontrol projects such as fireweed biocontrol to slow down some of agriculture’s most harmful pests.
What does Hawaii Ant Lab do?
Identify ant samples; Offer treatment advice; Conduct farm site visits to develop a treatment plan; Offer free farm visits to address the impacts of invasive ants, and other invasive species.
Why do we want to eradicate Little Fire Ants (LFA)?
Little Fire Ants infest agricultural fields and farms, where they damage crops and sting workers. They promote plant pests such as aphids, white flies and scale insects, which secrete plant sap that the ants eat. In turn, the ants protect these insects from natural predators and parasites.
Two-lined Spittlebug Control
Two-lined spittlebug adults feed on grasses that cattle prefer. HISC has funded research in two-lined spittlebug control and Big Island Invasive Species Committee outreach efforts.
On the left are images of rangeland damaged by two-lined spittlebug in the mauka lands of Kailua-Kona, which resulted in the growth of invasive plants. On the right are images of a two-lined spittlebug feeding on a plant and the resulting plant death.
For more information: Big Island Invasive Species Committee: Twolined Spittlebug
Rose-ringed Parakeet (RRP) Control
RRP are the most successful species of invasive parakeet worldwide. They pose a significant threat to agriculture in Hawai’i. RRP are herbivores and feed mainly on fruit and grain, causing damage to valuable food crops throughout the state. On Kaua’i, it has been estimated that RRP have caused an average of 10% in losses for small farms.
HISC staff have participated in efforts to increase outreach and to find new tools to control their population, including supporting and facilitating legislative appropriations related to this species.
Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) Control
Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle adults damage living palms by either killing the tree due to direct damage, or opening up the tree to fatal damage from other insects or pathogens. CRB response is partially funded by HISC. HISC supports research at UH to control CRB, staffing for response effort and outreach. CRB response involves hanging panel traps across O'ahu like the one pictured, population monitoring, and outreach/education to involve the community in identification.
For more information: Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Response
Axis Deer Management
Axis deer feed on crops and most fences fail to keep them out of agricultural land because they can jump over. HISC funded the Big Island Invasive Species Committee to remove all axis deer from the island, which was successful. There are now no axis deer on Hawaiʻi Island. Without funding for this successful completion of this project, Hawai'i Island farms and ranches could have been severely impacted by deer populations. HISC has also funded planning efforts for axis deer management on Maui.
Fireweed Biocontrol
Fireweed is toxic to livestock and thus, a huge threat to agriculture and farming in Hawai'i. Part of HISC's effort to control fireweed was the release of Madagascan fireweed moths, Secusio extensa, which voraciously consume the leaves of fireweed plants.
5. Watershed Partnerships Program
The Watershed Partnerships Program funds many needs of ranchers, and over a dozen ranches and farms are members of these partnerships. For example, WPP funds have supported gorse control and deer control that were threatening both ranches and forests. By protecting native forests, Watershed Partnerships protects the natural "green infrastructure" that creates the essential source of water used by farmers. Below are examples of farming and agriculture that benefit from the Watershed Partnerships Program:
Waiʻanae Mountains Watershed Partnership – Kaʻala Farm
Kohala Watershed Partnership
6. Commercial Forestry
Forestry & Wildlife manages a commercial forestry program that is designated as an agricultural land use. Some projects include timber management and State Tree Nursery windbreak tree sales. Timber management areas are State-owned lands designated for the sustainable production of forest products. There are currently three active timber management areas:
01 / 03
1
Waiākea Timber Management Area (WTMA)
Located on the northeast slopes of Mauna Loa, the Waiākea Timber Management Area (WTMA) is approximately 12,506 acres and is composed of non-native hardwood plantations that were planted with the intent for commercial harvesting. Predominant timber species of WTMA include Queensland maple, Eucalyptus saligna and grandis, Australian toon, and Tropical ash.
For more information: Waiākea Timber Management Area
2
Kōke'e Timber Management Area (KTMA)
KTMA totals approximately 17,092 acres. Invasive, non-native, and sometimes native trees are harvested at KTMA. KTMA implements sustainable commercial management of non-native timber plantations, selective harvest of non-native or invasive species in areas outside of plantations, harvest of non-native and native trees for maintenance or hazard reduction, and salvage harvest of dead or dying native trees.
For more information: Kōkeʻe Timber Management Area
3
Kapāpala Canoe Forest (KCF)
The Kapāpala Canoe Forest (KCF) is a 1,257 acre remnant koa forest located in Kaʻū Forest Reserve on the southeastern slopes of Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaiʻi. In 1989, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) set aside this unique native forest in response to a significant decline in koa trees due to past commercial harvesting and ranching activities. The primary purpose of the Kapāpala Canoe Forest is a source for koa canoe logs in perpetuity, on a sustainable and self-sustaining basis.
For more information: Kapāpala Canoe Forest
Additional Agricultural Projects
In addition to the program areas above, Forestry & Wildlife partners directly with farmers and ranchers in a number of ways, including:
- Federal grant applications: Forestry & Wildlife applies for many federal grants that directly support ranches. For example, $ 1.28m NFWF funds , portions of which are funding firebreaks and road maintenance for Kaʻala Ranch and Kamananui Ranch. Or, $5m in NRCS funds and many other RCPP grants DLNR has been awarded that have supported ranches for invasive species control (Ulupalakua Ranch and other ranches directly received money from these grants).
- Fire-suppression grazing: Partnering with ranchers in certain forest reserves on grazing projects to keep fuel loads down while supporting local agriculture.
- Maui agricultural park fencing: DOFAW is overseeing a project to fence the Maui Agricultural Park from invasive axis deer. These deer are very damaging to farmers’ crops. The Park consists of 31 farm lots with a total of 445 acres supporting 26 farmers with crops such as Kula onions, vegetables, turf grass, landscape nursery products, flowers, and dryland taro.