The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-09-21
HAWAII AND FORESTRY.
THE CATTLE PLAY HAVOC WITH
TREES on THE BIG ISLAND.
Springs should be Fenced and Live stock
Kept Out of Forests-Practlcal
Ideas.


while somewhat astonishing, very in
teresting. The Commissioner has
doubtless overdrawn his picture of the
future of the prosperous districts of
Hamakua and South Kohala, but,
withal, presents views of the outlook
which are worthy of close attention.
He says:
The attention of the Bureau, since its
organization, has been strongly directed
to the rapid deforestaton that has taken
place and is still going on in the i'm
portant sugar-growing districts of
Hamakua and Kohala, on the Island of
Hawaii, and in the equally important
districts of Handicapped and Kula,
an the island of Maui.
With the object of devising ways and
means to arrest the destruction OF the
Hamakua forests and to reforest the
same, your Commissioner visited Ham,
akua and called meeting of the planters
and Others interested. The result was
that all the planters in the district
signed letter in which they agreed to
bear all the expense OF building fence
through the district OF Hamakua, which
would preserve from further destruction
tract OF country over three miles wide
by twenty miles in length, provided
arrangements were made to devote the
land within the line OF the proposed
fence to the exclusive purpose OF MAIN
tanning a permanent forest. Later on
the planters further agreed to under
take the work OF planting a forest on
the denuded portions of land within the
proposed line.
Up to the present time no arrange
ment has been made between the
planters and the representatives of the
Parker estate, who control nearly all
the land either by lease from the Gov
eminent or by fee simple) on which it
is desired to preserve the forest. The
objection by the Parker estate to the
proposed fence, is that the fence would
cut their cattle Off from the only avail
able water supply in dry times. This
water supply consists of numerous
water holes in the gulches in the lower
remaining forest; formerly these water
holes extended for miles back, but as
the cattle destroyed the forest, the
water holes deprived of the protecting
shade of the trees have dried up, and it
is but a question of three or four years
at most, when the remaining forest
will be destroyed, and the present
water supply for the cattle disappear,
this fact is admitted by the manager of
the Parker ranch.
A suggestion has been made by the
planters that the Parker estate fence the
gulches containing the water holes, so
as to allow the cattle free access to the
water, while preserving the forests from
destruction, the planters carrying out
their agreement to do all the other
fencing and reforesting the land. This
equitable offer has not yet been agreed
to by the trustees of the Parker estate,
they stating that the financial affairs of
the estate are in such a condition that
they are not justified in making any
outlay for the purpose mentioned.
Your Commissioner has urged upon
the representatives of the Hamakua
plantations the ACCESSIBILITY of meeting
this objection by offering to assume the
cost of fencing the gulches in addition
to the mauka fence. This proposition,
am assured, will meet with proper
consideration, as the matter is one of
great moment to the agricultural in
dustry of Hamakua.
The planting interest of Kohala has
also called the attention of this Bureau
to the rapid deforestation of the upper
lands of that district. Your Commits
sioner has informed the planters there
of the action taken by the Hamakua
planters, and advised that meeting of
the planters be held to adopt the same
plan as that agreed to by the Hamakua
planters, thar is, the planters to do all
the fencing and the Government to sci
aside all the land above certain line
for forestry purposes.
For two years In succession the dis
tricts of Hamakua and Kohala have
suffered from severe and protractet
droughts, causing great loss to the sugar
planters of those districts. Springs anC
natural reservoirs in the gulches dimin
ished to such an extent that water fol
animals and domestic use was mos
difficult to procure, and in some in
stances had to be gotten from Honolulu
in barrels.
The cause of this serious state o.
things is accredited by the residents OF
those districts, to the unrestricted
roaming of cattle in the forests unit
tens of thousands of acres of land
which were formerly dense forest, arr
now but little better than a barrei
desert, useless alike to the grazier anC
the agriculturist.
In the districts of Hamakua ant
South Kahala there are millions o
dollars invested in our staple industr,
and unless something can be done ant
done Immediately, in order to give SOM
security for the future, the greater par
of the enormous capital invested will b
lost, and the cultivation of sugar in tn
districts Of Hamakua and South Kohal
become thing of the past.
The grazier TOO uf things are not sool
changed) will suffer serious loss, a
year by year the water supply for cattl
is becoming scarceE and more distant.
The cattle as they encroach on tn
forests destroy all before them causin
water holes and springs to dry up an
disappear until soon there will be non
left.
When this occurs, and occur it wi
unless action is taken to prevent it,
will be too late to effect anything tha
will benefit this generation; it will the
be a difficult matter to do anything {
ALL as the people in those district
(what there will be left of them will |
too poor to assist in any plan of refo
estIng the country.
No, the planters of Hamakua land n
doubt the planters of South Kohala wi
do the same) have offered to bear all I'll
expenses of fencing and planting
large portion OF the deforested regiol
provided the Government will set apa
the land for the purpose of growing an