Aloha from the Division of Forestry & Wildlife

The mission of DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife is to responsibly manage and protect watersheds, native ecosystems, and cultural resources and provide outdoor recreation and sustainable forest products opportunities, while facilitating partnerships, community involvement and education. Please us the links below or our top menu to find information about our division’s programs or about the species, places, and topics with which we work. E mālama kākou i ka ‘āina.

Explore Outdoors

Forestry & Wildlife manages roughly one million acres of public lands across Hawaiʻi. While some of these areas are restricted access in order to protect Hawaiʻi’s at-risk species & ecosystems, many of the lands we manage can be experienced in person through hiking, riding on equestrian or off-highway vehicle trails, camping, or other uses. Depending on the area and the activities you plan to engage in, you may need a permit. If you’d like to find resources near you, use our web map at the bottom of this page.

An image of people hiking linking to a page about hiking
An image of axis deer linking to a page on hunting
An image of tents linking to a page on camping
An image of a person planting a tree linking to a page on volunteering

Engage with Us

When interacting with lands and species managed by the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, you’ll need to follow our administrative rules, and you may need a permit depending on where you’re going and the activities you plan to engage in. You can contact us for more information, and we also encourage residents and visitors to provide feedback and participate in the process of management. You can attend or read documents from the public meetings of boards, committees, commissions, and councils managed by Forestry & Wildlife staff, and you can also comment on proposed policies.

An image of a nēnē linking to a page called Contact Us
An image of a forest and stream linking to a page on permits and guidelines
An image of a plant linking to a page about administrative rules

Learn About Hawaiʻi’s Species and Protected Areas

We are fortunate to be entrusted with the management of some of the world’s most fascinating, unique species, and to work in and manage areas that are truly special. The links below provide educational information about some of the species and places with which we work. You can find more ways to learn on our Education pages.

An image of an iʻiwi linking to a page with educational information on species, places, and more
An image of a hand on a tree linking to a page about Forest Reserves
An image of a mountain landscape linking to a page on Natural Area Reserves
An image of an aukuʻu linking to a page on Wildlife Sanctuaries

Get the Outerspatial Mobile App

Hawaiʻi’s outdoors now fits in your hand. Forestry & Wildlife has partnered with the app Outerspatial to provide information on Nā Ala Hele trails and on public hunting areas, optimized for smartphones. You can check in/out of hunting areas, report harvests, and learn about the variety of lands we manage.

An image of a forested valley and a smartphone & app graphic linking to information on the Outerspatial app

Find Reserves and Trails Near You

If you’re looking for public resources near you, we provide a few options. First, check out our Forest Users sites, which are island-based hubs that provide links to DOFAW information most relevant to you, based on where you are. We have Forest User sites in development for Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Maui Nui, and Hawaiʻi Island. Or, use the web map below to find reserves, trails, and campsites. Click on any feature in the map and if we have more information about that feature, you’ll see a link to that information on our websites. For convenience, the map below shows Forestry & Wildlife resources alongside State Parks and other public areas that aren’t managed by DOFAW, but may be of interest to you. As always, if you find an area you’re interested in exploring, check whether it is open for access and whether you need a permit for the activities you have in mind. If the embedded map below doesn’t display correctly, try opening it fullscreen.