Department of Land and Natural Resources

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
News Release

DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR

SUZANNE D. CASE CHAIRPERSON

For Immediate News Release February 23, 2017

PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT ON LĪHU‘E-KŌLOA FOREST RESERVE
MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EA) 

LIHU‘E, KAUA‘I — The Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Kaua‘i branch, of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is considering a revision to the Līhu‘e-Kōloa Forest Reserve Management Plan to update management priorities, tactical goals and action items, and estimated costs, and as part of the update, to provide for sustainable commercial management of existing non-native timber stands found within the forest reserve.

The DOFAW Kaua‘i office is seeking input from interested agencies, organizations and individuals by March 30, 2017, so that any concerns or suggestions may be addressed in the management plan update and corresponding environmental assessment that will be prepared in compliance with Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 343.

The Līhu‘e-Kōloa Forest Reserve consists of over 12,500 acres. The current management plan (from 2010) may be viewed at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/forestry/frs/reserves/kauai/lihue-koloa/. Table 6 from the current plan (shown below) identifies management priority categories (in priority order) and lists general management actions to address the objectives, along with tactical goals, action items, and estimated costs:

Management priority	General Management Action	Tactical Goals	Action Items	Estimated Cost
Watershed values	Reduce the threat and impact of erosion on reserve resources	Reduce ungulate damage in ecologically sensitive areas	Strategic ungulate fencing at back of Blue Hole (~ 300 ft.) Special fly-in public hunts at back of Blue Hole	$40,000   $25,000 plus staff and mgmt. costs
Additional public activity	Provide high quality recreational opportunities	Maintain trails and roads           Maintain signs and structures	Purchase road fill material, grade roads, and maintain bridges Brush removal, mowing, gravel and grade trails Toilet and shelter repair/maintenance Sign replacement	$30,000/yr.     $10,000/yr. Mgmt. and staff costs only $1000/yr.
Native Ecosystems	Protect high priority (V-1 and V-2) areas as defined by DOFAWʻs draft Management Guidelines	Reduce ungulate damage in ecologically sensitive areas Review and update Management Guidelines	See items from “Watershed Values” above Re-evaluate vegetation classes, especially in Kalāheo section	As above   Mgmt. and staff costs only
Invasive Species Control	Reduce/prevent invasive species from entering V-1 and V-2 areas	Aerial spraying of target species   Chemical and biological ground control of target species	Australian tree fern (Guava and African tulip if technology is developed) Clidemia, Schizachryium, Australian tree fern, Guava, Albizzia	$82,500     $30,000/yr. plus staff and mgmt. costs
Game Animal Management	Continue to provide public hunting opportunities	Improve/increase hunting access in Kalāheo section       Create a public shooting range at Hanahanapuni	Clear right of way at Lāwai Valley Work with private landowners to obtain access to Alexander Dam area of Kalāheo section Obtain boundary survey in order to add designated land to the Forest Reserve	$20,000   Mgmt. and staff costs only   $15,000
Commercial activity	Promote ecotourism and manage forest/timber resources	Review and provide opportunities for approved ecotourism operations and timber use	Monitor ecotourism activities to ensure compliance with current agreements	Mgmt. and staff costs only
Resource Protection	Reduce the threat of fire, insects, and disease	Respond to threats as needed	Reduce fuel loads along access corridors Monitor for insects and disease	Mgmt. and staff costs only Mgmt. and staff costs only
T&E Species Management	Protect occurrences of listed and rare plants and animals	Protect and monitor wild populations of rare plants       Protect and monitor bird populations	Fence individual plants/populations as needed or where accessible; Maintain existing fences; Collect, propagate, and outplant into protected areas Support Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project annual surveys of known colony sites	$10,000/yr.+         $136,000/yr.

The Līhu‘e-Kōloa Forest Reserve contains approximately 560 non-contiguous acres of non-native timber plantation stands, planted mostly in the 1930s and 1960s with the intention of future harvest. As part of the management plan update, DOFAW is considering identifying an area surrounding the existing non-native timber stands as a timber management area to allow for the sustainable harvest of those non-native timber stands through the issuance of a timber land license. NO native forests or trees would be converted to non-native forests and NO harvested trees will be transported out of the forest via the Keahua Stream Bridge.

DOFAW has contracted with Anden Consulting to assist with the management plan update and to prepare a corresponding draft environmental assessment, which will address topics including impacts on water quality; native species; potential spread of invasive species; cultural resources; public access and use; and socioeconomic impacts. DOFAW invites comments on these topics as well as suggestions of other areas of concern.

Please send comments on the project by March 30, 2017 to the mailing address above, attention Phillip LaHaela Walter [email protected] or 808-587-4169, or via email to [email protected]. Any questions about the management plan update, may be addressed to, and Patrick Porter, Kauai Forest Management Supervisor at [email protected] or 808-274-3439 or Sheri S. Mann, Kaua‘i Branch Manager at [email protected] or 808-274-3436.

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Media contact
Deborah Ward
DLNR Communications specialist
Phone: (808) 587-0320