Forestry & Wildlife

(Lihue) – The population of Pacific Rats on tiny Lehua Island, off Kaua‘i’s west coast remains extremely low, two years after three applications of a rodenticide to clear them out of the State Seabird Sanctuary.

(Lihu‘e) --   Last spring, the Wailua Management Road (aka.Loop Road), which leads to the Blue Hole in the Wailua area experienced severe damage due to heavy rains, falling trees and landslides. The conditions continue to deteriorate and are posing a public safety hazard.

(Kahului) – In July, one of two species of fungus causing Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) was detected for the first time on Maui, in the Hāna region.  The response was quick, and the tree, which was in an ornamental setting, was destroyed.  However, surveys for the disease are ongoing.

(Honolulu) – State hunting units A, K, and G, in the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve and Natural Area Reserve, closed since July 15th will reopen today. The units were closed to protect public safety and provide security for the safe movement of heavy construction equipment associated with the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

(Honolulu) - One of the species of fungus causing Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) was recently detected for the first time on O`ahu. A team of natural resource managers from the O`ahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC) and the Ko’olau Mountain Watershed Partnership (KMWP) recently sampled a dead ʻōhiʻa tree on private land in a remote area in the Ko’olau Mountains above Pearl City.

(Honolulu) – When DLNR Chair Suzanne Case was alerted by the O‘ahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC) of their desire to do a miconia survey of her property, she readily agreed. Good news – no Miconia (an invasive, noxious weed), Bad news – naio thrips had infested an 18-year-old naio shrub.

(Honolulu)-The Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Working Group, formed to respond to a new disease threatening Hawai‘i’s most important native forest tree, recently received the Conservation Innovation award at the 2019 Hawaii Conservation Conference. The working group is made up of nearly 200 individuals representing state, county, federal, university, non-profit organizations, local and private businesses, as well as private citizens. The purpose of the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Working Group is to facilitate inclusive communication on all issues related to the fungal disease and share knowledge on a regular basis among group members, their organizations, and the people of Hawai’i.

(Honolulu) – Are you a private landowner interested in protecting and managing your forest lands and leaving a long-term legacy for your family and the people of Hawaii? The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is seeking new projects for a federally-funded forest acquisition programs: The Hawaiʻi Forest Legacy Program.

(Honolulu) – In an effort to protect public safety and provide security and safety for the movement of heavy construction equipment associated with the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on Hawai‘i Island’s Mauna Kea, DLNR Chair Suzanne Case has ordered the temporary closure for hunting of hunting units A, K, and G in the Mauna Kea Forest Reserve and Natural Area Reserve for hunting, effective July 15, 2019.

(Honolulu) – The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) is issuing a Request for Interest (RFI) seeking partners and innovative projects for two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service competitive natural resource grant programs: Wildland-Urban Interface and Landscape Scale Restoration grants.