The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-03-13
our FORESTS AND
FOREST POLICY
The Work That Has Been Done
and That Needs to
Be Done.

Forester Hosmer, in his report to
the Board of Agriculture and For
estry,- has set out very clearly the
underlying principles of the Hawaiian
forest policy, and the SPECIAL needs of
that work at the present time OF the
underlying principles he says:
In subject so intimately connect
ed with the continued welfare of the
Territory as is forestry, it is well that
there should be clear understanding
of the principles on which the forest
policy of the Territorial Government
is based. An annual report gives the
opportunity for restatement of the
reasons why Perhaps it may not
be out of place once again to outline
the essential facts.
There are in Hawaii two main
classes of forest land, which for the
sake of convenience have been termed
water-bearing forest - and the q COM
mercial Forest The water bearing
forest is situated for the most part in
the windward districts and covers the
watersheds and catchment basins of
the streams that are needed for irri-
cation, power development and other
economic uses. The chief value of this
forest is that it protects the head
waters of these streams. It's most inn
portant product is water, and the
treatment indicated for it is therefore
the one which will best serve to pro-
duce the largest quantity of water.
This class of native Hawaiian forest
belongs to what is known as the
train Forest type, common in the
| tropics. To render TO the full its
beneficial service as CONSERVATION of
water, it is essential that the forest
cover be kept strictly intact, for ow-
ing to its character and composition
| the Hawaiian forest is easily damaged
| by the inroads of cattle and other
enemies The method of management
best adapted to secure the result de-
sired with this class of forest is to
keep it as "protection forest, from
which men and animals are strictly ex-
| Guided. Only by SO managing it can
| it be made to yield permanently the
| largest share of its most valuable
| product, water. All but one of the
| sixteen forest reserves So far set apart
are in the water bearing forest class.
| They are therefore to be considered
and treated as protection forests.
The other main class of Hawaiian
! forest, the commercial forest, is found
for the most part in the districts on
the leeward side of the Island of Ha
! ho Of fba
| topography and the remarkable poros
ity of rock and soil, there are no per-
manently running streams and only
| occasional springs. In such districts
| it is obvious that the protection of
| watersheds does not figure. Conse-
| quently the chief value of the CONNER
| cial forest lies in the wood and tim
| Der which it can be made to produce.
Fortunately, over d considerable por-
| ton of the commercial forest repro
| duction can be secured through nat
ural means, So that successive crops of
valuable timber can be obtained, pro-
vided the forests are managed in ac-
| eordance with the dictates of practical
forestry.
| Important as the commercial forest
/ is, it should be clearly borne in mind
| that in Hawaii the water-bearing for
| est is far and away the more import
ant of the two classes, and that wher-
ever 1.-THE water-bearing forest-oe
ours, it should, because of its relation
| to the economic development of the
Territory, not only be carefully pro-
+, tected, but so managed that it may be
of the greatest use possible.
The Application of the Principles
The practical application of the
| principles above set forth is-and the
| point should be urged strongly-that
until provision is made for adequately
| protecting the forest reserves from in
jury by fire, animals and trespass, the
Hawaiian forests can not be made TO
serve to the full the objects for which
| the reserves are created. The essen
| tial needs are money for fencing such
stretches of the reserve boundaries on
government land as can not be pre-
vided for through fencing provisions
| in the leases of adjoining government
lands; a fund for fighting forest fire
en- government land; and an approprl-
alton sufficient to permit the employ
ment of forest rangers to protect the
reserves from fire, to see that the
boundaries are maintained and respect
ed, to prevent trespass of animals and
men. and in general to give to the
forest the care that it requires, to be
made of the greatest service.
What has so far been done is prac-
tieally to provide a skeleton of forest
reserve administration. The defining
of boundaries, the reports and recon-
dations. the official proclamation OF
the area as a reserve are all necessary
steps essential to the creation of
legal forest reserve. As such they
Justify the time that has to be spent
on them. But no one understands
more clearly than do the members OF
the Division of Forestry that it
takes more than reports and the
eninriUn of orpaS IN man TO