The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-01-02

commercial forests. are found in the
districts where, because of the alb
sence of running streams, watershed
protection does not figure. The forests
of the first class are by long odds the
most important, for in Hawaii the re-
lation between sustained stream flow
and watershed protected by forest
cover is intimate and peculiarly direct
Hawaii is a country essentially de-
pendent on agriculture. The main
crop is sugar cane. On more than half
of the ffty-four plantations irriagtion
is essential for successful cultivation,
for although the soil in the leeward
districts is rich it requires water to
be made commercially productive. Wa
ter is also needed on the non-irrigated
plantations for the development of
power for the fuming of cane. The
important part that irrigation plays in
Hawaii may perhaps be made more APP
parent by the statement that over if
teen million dollars has been expended,
wholly by private enterprise, in de-
supply water to the cane fields of the
| irrigated plantations.
The Importance Of the forest is gen
| orally recognized n Hawaii and has
| led to strong public sentiment in
| favor of forestry. This finds express
| sion in a Territorial Forest Service
charged with the creation and admin
| istration of forest reserves and with
! the prosecution of other forest work
During the past five years under a
definite forest policy Systematically
| followed, sixteen forest reserves have
been set apart, with an aggregate total
area Of 444,116 acres. OF this area,
273,912 acres, or 81 per cent, is land
belonging to the Territorial Govern
ment. The other 80 per cent. is in
private ownership, but for the most
part the owners of the lands, fully
aware of the benefits of forest protec-
ton, cooperate actively with the Ter
| ritorial Government in the manage
ment of the forest reserves.
There are three main types of forest
in Hawaii, the koa and ohia forest,
living between the elevations of two
and six thousand feet; the mamani
forest pure stand of another native
Hawaiian tree found on the upper
slopes of the higher mountains; and
the introduced algaroba forest, which
occurs at the lower levels on the lee
ward side of each of the larger is
lands.
The typical Hawaiian forest is of
the first type. The forest consists of
dense jungle of trees, high growing
eI,p he oil bnp
much underground and heavy ground
cover of ferns and bracken. Alto
gether it is a plant community admir-
ably adapted for the conservation OF
moisture, for preventing erosion ano
for serving as a reservoir to feed the
springs and streams that rise within
, its bounds. The most important tree;
are ohia 1ehua (Metrosideros polymor
pha) and koa acacia koa).
The forest in all the forest reserves
is of this type. A recent compilation
of the forest areas of the Territor,
, shows that the koa and ohia fores
covers approximately 1,175,000 acres
Of this area it is estimated tina
e eventually about three-quarters of
: million acres will be included within
forest reserve boundaries, of which
about 20 per cent. will be governmen
= land.
/. Above the level Of the koa and Obi
Y forest, on the slope of Mauna Ke;
q elevation 1926 feet), on the islam,
of Hawaii, is found a nearly pur
: stand of another native Hawaiian
e tree, mamani (Sophora chrysophylla)
This forest occurs in belt lying be
!. tween the elevations of 5000 and 8
; 500 feet. The area of the maman
{ forest on Mauna Kea is 63,5oO acres
$ Mamani occurs elsewhere in the Terri
tory, but does not at the present tim
e form what may be called forests. ]
is, however, spreading rapidly SO tina
in future years it will play niue
II larger part than it does now.
r Mamani makes excellent fence post
II for which purpose the trees in til
upper forest belt are cut for local u.s.
No accurate figures as to the numbe
e cut are now available. Otherwise tn
% type of forest is unimportant CONNIE
lie cially.
The algaroba (Prosopis julifora)
the mesquite of the Southwest. TIL
1t tree was introduced into the Island
lie in 1887. 1t has now spread so as
le cover between fifty thousand and sixt
70 thousand acres below an elevation
1000 feet in the leeward districts
III the larger islands of the group. 1t
n spreading rapidly along the 1eewal
coasts and is also gradually climbir
to a higher elevation.
The algaroua forest is the large
single source of fuel supply in Il
Territory. 1t is estimated that ov
5000 cords are sold annually in H
nolulu. The price varies from S
to $14 a cord, delivered.
The algaroba forests are further
of value because the pods make got
stock feed and also because the TT
is one of the important plants local
for bee food. 1t is estimated that f
the calendar year 1907, the tot
is. amount invested in apiaries and 9th
equipment for the manufacture of
l., garoba honey was $4,000 and til
'' the gross receipts for algaroba hon
es products for the year were over So
he 600.
Ii 1t has already been shown that t
a. primary value of the Hawaiian fore
rests in the influence it exerts on t
IN conservation of water and that t
an commercial aspect relatively takes s.