Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-09
FORESTS OF HAWAII
CONDITIONS WITH WHICH THE
REFORMER WILL HAVE TO DEAL.
Menace to the Sugar Industry-System
of Reserves to Be Established-A
Permanent Forester.

The territorial government of the Ha-
waiian Islands will appoint as superntend-
ent of forestry this winter man furnished
to it by the bureau of forestry, who will
take charge of important projects for the
betterment of the Islands forests The man
appointed will have the responsibilities first
of determining the location and the bound
aries of a system of forest reserves, and
later of experimenting a great deal of
forest planting, both on public and private
lands.
Little Timber for Lumber.
The forest conditions of the islands are
unlike any that prevail in this country.
Mr.. William l.. Hall of the bureau of fores-
try, who has just returned from a two
months examination of the islands, reports
peculiar and interesting problems which
forestry must solve there. The islands con-
tain scarcely any forests capable of YIELD
ing timber of value for lumber Nearly all
the lumber used for building purposes
comes from the Pacific coast
Protection to Sugar Industry.
But there are several hundred thousand
acres of forest land of the greatest value
for protective purposes Indeed. SO great
is the Importance of these forests that on
their preservation depends the existence of
the sugar industry. and that is equivalent
to saying the continued prosperity of the
islands. The sugar exports of the last fiscal
year amounted to S25, 100000, and sugar is
practically the only export. The raising
of sugar requires an enormous amount of
water. nearly all of which must be supplied
by irrigation the water being carried in
fumes and bitches from the wet, noun
famous parts of the islands to the dry
plains which the sugar cane is grown
The rainfall of the islands is nearly all con-
fined to the northeast and east mountain
slopes, where 1t is tremendously heavy,
some years more than 200 inches On the
other side of the divide, and in the plains
beyond, where the sugar cane grows, there
may be no more than fifteen inches of rain
a year.
The forests are largely confined to the
rainy side of the mountains, and are neces-
sary a protective cover to keep the
ground from washing from the slopes and
the rain from rushing back too rapidly into
the sea. The presence Of the forest cover,
since it makes the flow regular preventing
both floods and periods Of low stream flow,
is Indispensable to the success of irriga ting
projects.
Value of the Forests.
The value of this forest, strangely
enough consists not so much in the trees
1t contains-for they are frequently low.
crooked and sparsely scattered-as In the
impenetrable mass OF underground be-
meath them. This underground, composed
Of vines ferns and MOSES, is of SO dense
character that It shades the ground all
soluteIy and holds water like sponge 1t
is, however. exceedingly delicate and cas-
lily destroyed Let cattle into such a for
est and they will speedily eat or trample
down the underground TIL the bare ground
is exposed. The soil then rapidly dries
out and becomes hard, and the trees soon
die. Grasses. insects and wind usually
hasten the structfon. Cattle and goats
have ravaged the Hawaiian forests with
out hindrance for many years, and have
worked further each year into the heart of
the dense tropical growth.
Hawaiian Public Lands.
The Hawaiian public lands consist Of
1.772.640 acres. All of these lands which
are in forest, and many forest areas pri-
vately owned which the government can
gain possession of by exchange, will be
put into forest reserves, cleared of cattle
and goats. fenced and preserved Some
compensation must also be made for the
great areas of forest already DESTROYED.
1t will be part of the work of the for
ester to plant large areas Of this denuded
land. upon which forests are of most vital
Importance to the agricultural interests
Mr.. Hall, who carefully examined the eli
matte conditions. believes that species OF
the Pacfnc coast, such as redwood and red
fir, will do well in most places at the high
er elevations on the islands
= An example Of how foreign species NAV
succeed In Hawaii Is furnished by the mes
quite Of our own southwest, which was In
troduced into the islands some fifty years
ago and now covers. about 10000 acres.
Is not called mesquite in Hawaii, however
but goes by the name of algaroba