The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-09-16
70 SAVE KULA FORESTS
FORESTER HAUGHS RETURNS
FROM TOUR OF INSPECTION.
Fencing and Bird Culture Suggested
Remedies-Trees Very Unhealthy.
Cattle and Insects Responsible.

The forest district of Kula, Maui on
the slopes of H6leakala is in danger of
rapid denudation unless measures are
promptly taken up both by the Govern
ment and private individuals for the
profession and encouragement of the
timber.
FORESTER Haughs, who returned on
the Claudine on Sunday from Maui,
where he had been to look into the
matter; reports tnat he saw hardly a
healthy tree in the district, owing to
the depredations of the cattle and the
boring insects.
'Ihere are said Haughs this morn
ing, several places upon which the
leases have nearly run out and it would
be profitable for the Government to Sc
cure these and fence them. The whole
belt from the higher boundaries of the
corn Plantations to the timber line
should be thus protected and it would
be profitable for the ranchers to them
selves fence the upper part of their
plantations at their own expense"
The timber line on the mountains has
now according to Forester Haughs
.crept down to 5000, the upper slopes
being completely denuded; while in
places the corn has been planted up to
5000 feet.
Tbp matter of fencir~ in the land is
of course made more expensive at pres
ent from the fact that where the land
is leased continuous fence would be
continually broken up. In one place
however there is a strip where six or
seven miles of continuous fencing could
be used to advantage. sucn Ienclng
costing approximately $100 a mile.
In this neighborhOod people VINO have
no pasture are in the habit OF turn
ing their herds of from three to four
hundred head of cattle into the trees
to browse. 1t is Mr.. Haugh's recon-
mendation that the proposed fencing
be carried out, the owners of the ad-
joining property paying for one half
of the expense of the boundary line.
The trees are greatly molested by
borers, whose natural enemies, in the
shape of native birds, are being surely
but slowly wiped out of existence. The
bird who thus champions the forests
is peculiar to Hawaii and in some spe-
.cies peculiar to the different islands.
1t is about the size of p wooopecker
and has beak of which the upper half
is considerably lower than the lower
manuIDIe. between these he bears a
long prehenSue tongue, with when he
draws the insects from their hoes wnIe
cllngIng onto the bark with the bill.
These Dirds are very active in destroy
ing the borers, VINO VIII attack dis
p eased tree upon the slightest proVoca-
ton, even the wilLlng or lear in the
sun being a signal for the insects 10
confluence work upon the tree wnich is
then quickly doomed. The indigenous
borers nave prac Ideally no parasites 10
kill them and are thus practically
immune from interference. There are
also many imported borers, common all
over the world, VINO 40 not hesitate to
attack a healthy tree, starting to work
on the buds with the result that the
buds in the kula forests are notice.
abby fewer nowadays.
Naturalist X. Z. l.. Perkins of the
Bishop Museum considers tnat the pro-
blem would be great" simplified by the
transplantIng of the birus from the
different island and the establishing of
a cIose time from October to the mid
die of February. A measure to effect
this was drawn up for the Legislature
some time ago by Mr.. Perkins but fail
ed to become law.
Some of the old bird snarers who
were so famous for their skill in old
Hawaii are still available and might be
used for the purpose of catching the
birds in the different islands and
whence they could be transplanted as
suggested. Mr.. Perkins states that the
necessity of keeuing the birds in their
various island habitats is now super
HuOuS from ScientlHc point Oh view as
all the specimens necessary to deter
mine the original location of the vari-
GUS species have been already secur-
ed.
1Mr. Perkins stated that the Kula
1prests have for some time been in a
bad condition, being noticeably thin
ten years ago. He quoted the forest at
Waialua as an example, where prompt
). action in fencing restored the rapidly
decreasing trees to a dense forest
in the course of a year or two.
The Kula trees are principally koa
and ohia and the planting of new trees
such as various species of acacia is
proposed by Forester Haughs.
CAUSE AND EFFECT.