The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-04-22

Islands. fOllOWlng are some extracts:
LIMITS OF THE ORIGINAL
FOREST.
Originally the forests were limited
only by such natural conditions as lack
of rainfall, elevation and lava flows
The northeast trade winds keep the
windward mountain slopes saturated by
frequent rains during the greater part
of the year. and on these slopes, at
elevations of 1900 TO 5000 feet, where
| the rainfall is greatest, is found the
| heaviest forest. Towards regions OF
| lessened exposure TO trade winds and
decreased rainfall the forest becomes
| thinner and of poorer quality, and on
| leeward, where the rainfall is in places
less than 80 or 30 inches per year. there
| is often no forest at all. Probably the
area which originally bore no forest
because OF insufficient rainfall was quite
large, for it is certain that all OF the
important islands now have large tracts
to which no trees of the native forest
are adapted
Elevation has put sharp limit TO
the forest on the islands OF Hawaii and
Maui at from 5000 to 5000 feet. This
leaves very large areas of Mauna Loa,
Mauna Kea. Hualalai and Haleakala
devoid of forest, and they have always
been so. The mountains of the other
Islands, begin under 5000 feet, are
forested to their submits. Six to eight
;ne nons;derine the fa avn, cond;-
tons of soil, moisture and temperature
which prevail at that altitude in Ha-
wall.
The sufficient reason seems to be that
the species composing. the native tor
ests are all representatives OF the torrld
zone, and in these islands, which lie
right at the edge OF the tropics, ind
their limit at the low altitude named.
On the slopes of Mauna Loa, lava
flows have put sharp limit to the for
est i'll number of places. The flow
OF 1881, which ran from near the top
of the mountain almost to the sea, cut
wide swath through dense forest
for fully fifteen miles. Many previous
flows had resulted similarly, and while
the forest is slowly replacing itself on
required for the lava to decompose
of forest Many thousand acres which
VIM ''i''' nav 'N>'i wa 80 49, 80 y
| now surfaced with lava rock (pahoe-
hoe), and support only meager
growth OF tern and stunted trees.
| SLOWLY this rock is decomposing, and
as it decomposes the forest improves.
| PApJD DEcADENCE OF THE
FOPFST
he above were the Chief agencies
restricting the forest up to about 100
years ago, Since that time various
deleterious agents have worked SO Ell
fectualiy toward the destruction OF the
| woodland that every forest in the IS
lands has been reduced until now 1t IS
only fragment OF what 1T was origin
ally he Island OF Molokai well Illus
| trates this point. his island, SO miles
| long by! miles wide, has range OF
mountains over 1000 feet high at ITS
eastern end, drops to a low pain IN
the center and rises to 1880 feet near
the western end. Originally all the
eastern end well down to the central
PLAIN, and the highest part OF the west
ern end, were heavily forested. he
PLAIN was park-like, with scattering
groves OF trees. here is little at pres
ent even to indicate former conditions
All the western end IS bare. Inc trees
are gone from the PLAIN, and also from
the western and southern slopes OF the
mountains at the eastern end; Only a
lew thousand acres OF the highest south
Of The ,nounta;n are now Covered i''I nv
growing forest. Stretching around the
living forest is wide belt OF leatiess
timber, which has died within the last
decade but has not yet fallen.
Each of the other islands exhibit just
the same conditions. More marked eX-
ampess OF declining forests can scarce
Iy be imagined than exist in the districts
OF HamaEua and kohala IN Hawaii
and kuIa IN Maui III winch one MAY,
pass through thousands OF acres OF
totally dead forest INTO equal areas IN
a a., dying ing, condition, , ana ma from these INTO
the small remnant That yet remains
thrifty -, =.
NO estimate can be given OF the ratio
OF the present forest to that OF cen