The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-10-04
FORESTRY AND
FIGHTING FIRES
TWO IMPORTANT SUBJECTS DIS
CUSSED BY THE BOARD OF AG-
RICULTURE AND FORESTRY.

tOl est nreS occur VIII be asked To pay |
what the Board is compelled to spend
in fighting such fires. IN the case of
the recent Nuuanu fire, which was put
out by a number of Sam Johnson's
men, Forester Hosmer reported that
the auditor had held up the bill for
their services amounting to $3.50. The
Country Club, which holds the land
where the fire occurred, will be asked
to pay the bill.
In a report on the fire Hosmer said:
LAS the land of Kapalama lying be-
yond the ridge was covered by a heavy
stand of grass, with some trees, there
is no question in my mind that the
fire, had it not been stopped on the
ridge where it was, would have burned
over a considerable area, probably
spreading as far as Kalihi valley, and
perhaps up the ridge into the noun
tains. From the evidence of the men
who did the fighting on the ridge. it
needed their best efforts to keep the
fire from getting past them.
The occurrence of this fire is anoth-
er instance of a brush fire which might
have resulted in serious damage, II not
promptly checked. 1t was apparently
assumed by the men who started the
fires in the afternoon that the fire
would go out when it reached the
rocky bluffs at the foot Of the main
ridge but this proved not to be the
case. The wind becoming fresh and
eddying about the spurs of the ridge
caused the fire to burn in unexpected
places and there being no one on hand
to watch it, itw as soon burning well
up on the slope, 1t was when the fire
was at this point, at about $50 in the
afternoon, that the men from the nur-
sery arrived Freitas says that he saw
nothing Of Doves men when he arriv-
ed at the fire.
"In my judgment the evidence above
presented shows conclusiVely that this
fire resulted through the negligence of
the persons burning brush. Had the
men who started the fire remained to
watch it as they should it would have
been impossible for the fire to have
assumed the dimensions it had when
first reported to the office of this
Board"
Hosmer also presented a lengthy re
port on the matter of numbering Koa
forests, the Hawaiian Mahogany Lum
/ Der Company having asked for infor-
nation as to what can be done without
| injury to the forests. In addition to
setting forth a series of regulations,
which the Board adopted, Hosmer gave
the following general policy:
''The general policy of the Board. as
we'll as my own attitude in the mat
ter, is in favor of numbering the ma
ture trees of merchantable value in the
iHawaiian forests, where ever such
work can be done withour detriment to
the continued well being of the forest
as a whole. In certain districts where
the primary value of the forest is from
its serving as a protection cover on
important watersheds it will probably
i be found advisable to maintain the
forest intact.
! ''But in districts where, except in re-
stricted localities, the question of
! stream protection is minor consider
alton, as is the case in the greater
| part Of Kona and much of Kau, there
/ is in my judgment no good reason why
] the forest, while being permanently
/ maintained, should not be so managed
as to serve as a continued source of
! timber and other forest products. This
| indeed is the essential object of for
| estry-the perpetuation of the forest
| through wise use.
From my acquaintance with Kona
and Kau I believe that because of it's
| general relation to the various indus
| tries of those districts ana to some ex-
! tent on account of tHe influence which
| the forest may exert on the local eli
mate it is to the advantage of the Ter
ritory that most of the area in these
! districts now covered by the Koa belt
! be kept permanently in forest. For
| this reason I recommend that when
! numbering is undertaken, either on
! government or private lands, the work
be done in accordance with the meth
DDS Of practical forestry.
with regard to the Hilo district my
feeling is that except for the koa on
= the Kaumana and Ponahawai lots back
of Hilo town-which see no objection
/ to numbering under an agreement
| generally similar to that recommended
for Mountaineering operations should
not be undertaken until careful study
I of the district with this special subject
in view has been made. There are
! doubtless certain places which could
be logged under proper restrictions
without detriment to the general well
fare of the district, but in other sit
uations, such for instance as the por-
ton Of Piihonua from which comes the
water supply of Hilo town, the forest
should only be opened up, if at all,
after careful study has been made
on the ground.
Very respectfully,
RALPH S. HOSMER,
Superintendent of Forestry"
Reports on his recent trips to other