The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-10

| to its wafer conserving qualities. Blu
TO make numbering profitable the oper
atoms would have to be conducte'
on a large scale This would newt
ably involve the opening up of con
sidera BILE areas in sections where
complete forest cover is most needed
, Such a policy on this particular waite
shed would be fraught with danger. 1
is a risk which I do not believe thu
Territory should take. For the money
J to be obtained as stumpage would il
no way compensate for the injury thai
would result were the regular flow Of
the Wailuku River seriously interfered
with.
For this reason I am opposed to lun-
bering the forest on Pihonua.
Second: The forest policy of the
Territory has been and is to create
a chain of forest reserves that are es-
sentially protection forests" On the
leeward side of the island, where be-
cause of the absence of running
streams watershed protection does not
I figure, 1 am in favor Of utilizing the
/ merchantable timber. But on the
windward side of Hawaii I believe that
! the forest in the several esta blished
! forest reserves should for the most
part be kept intact, at any rate for
the present.
If this is so in general it is par
ticularly true of the HiIo Forest Re-
serve: for with the growing Importance
of Hilo town and the Hilo district,
through the construction of the break
water and the building of the Hflo-
KohaIa Railroad. the streams coming
from the reserve will be needed more
than at any time in the past.
Considering the large area of pri-
vately owned land in the Hawaiian
forest reserves it is essential that a
uniform and consistent policy of for
est protection be maintained, in order
that the owners of this land may be
brought to cooperate with the govern
ment in it's management. The grant
ing of logging rights on such land
as Piihonua would, I fear, tend to
weaken the public sentiment that sup
ports the reserve work, if indeed it
did not react unfavorably on the whole
forest policy of the Territory.
Therefore, on this count also, be-
lieve the logging of Piihonua to be
inexpedient
Third: Ny third reason is from a |
professional standpoint. Forestry rests
on a business as well as on scientific |
basis. In the consideration of such a |
problem as the numbering of the PHI |
honua forest, the factor of whether or
not it would pay is an essential one.
Even were it desirable that lumber /
ing should be permitted, it would in
my judgment be necessary, in order
to safeguard the favorable conditions
IF stream flow that now exist, to load II
The contract with stringent regulations
IS to the area to be logged, the methods
% be used and the subsequent treat
nent of the tract. From the situation
# PiihOnua in relation TO transpOrta-
ion, the cost of logging would at
,est be high. When to this were added
he necessary restrictions and stun1-
,age at the price which I believe the
territory should demand, I cannot see
low there would remain any margin
4 profit for the contractor undertake
ng the work
Looking at the matter in this light 1
should not be justified from the
tandpoint of professional ethics, in
acitIy recommending the project by /
pproving conditions under which log
ing might be carried on.
On this third count, then, I can not
commend numbering on Piihonua.
I recommend. if the Board approves
his report, that copies be sent to the
GOVERNOR and to the Commissioner of
ublic Lands.
Very respectfully,
RALPH S. HOSMER,
Superintendent of Forestry.