But scientists, sifting through fire pits dating to 1500 A.D., have found trees once grew there, including ohia and wiliwili. In the mornings, the peaks intercept occasional clouds, capturing the moisture in dew-laden plants and moss. Here, the chances for rain are greater, and also the opportunity for life. But below at lower elevations, where the soil has eroded into 1,200 acres of hardpan, the plants are expected to have more difficulty surviving. Most of the hardpan areas are in the eastern third of the island, but some are also scattered in the center and western sections.
Erosion continues to be a problem.
The island loses an estimated 1.8 million tons of soil a year. Restoration ecologist Paul Higashino said the goal is to slow the wind and water enough to allow the soil to catch and retain organic matter and allow the runoff from rainfall to percolate into the soil. While the plan leaves the choice open to plant alien species as wind breakers, the commission plans to grow native plants as much as possible, Higashino said. A number of attempts have been made to reforest the island, with some success. In 1979, the U.S. Navy and the state planted tamarisk trees as windbreaks.