West Maui

West Maui

Acres/TMK:

  • Honokowai Section: 750 (4-4-7-4)
  • Kahakuloa Section: 3,275 (3-1-6-1)
  • Panaewa Section: 1,717 (4-6-25-2)
  • Lihau Section: 960 (4-8-1-2)

Established: 3/7/86

West Maui Forest Reserve is located i nthe districts of Lahainna and Wailuku. The reserve was first designated on August 21, 1908, by Governorʻs Proclamation, and currently consists of approximatley 11,416 acres. West Maui Forest Reserve currently consists of twelve separate sections of Mauna Kahalwai.

Honokowai Section: One of four sections that make up the West Maui Natural Area Reserve, the Honokowai Section is on the wet upper northern slopes of the West Maui Mountains. The native communities include two kinds of rare bogs, as well as wet forests, shrublands, and a montane lake. This section has watershed value and includes many rare plants.

Kahakuloa Section: The Kahakuloa Section lies on wet, windward slopes of the West Maui Mountains. The plateau of Eke Crater is still undsiturbed by feral ungulates. This section includes the upper reaches of two perennial streams, and includes a rare montane bog surrounded by ‘ohi‘a wet forests. This section also has watershed value and includes many rare plants.

Panaewa Section: Panaewa includes a rare montane bog, as well as representative ‘ohi‘a forests and shrublands. This section also includes rare plants.

Lihau Section: The driest of the four sections of the West Maui Natural Area Reserve, Lihau is a steep-sloped volcanic remnant that extends from dry leeward lowlands to a wet summit with cliffs on all sides. The 1988 survey indicated that the summit of Lihau remains ungulate-free. A rare grassland and shrubland occur near the lower boundaries of the Reserve, and many rare plants are known from Lihau, including the federally endangered plant Gouania hillebrandii.

Natural Communities: 11 total, 2 rare
Native Plants: 315 total taxa, 81 rare

Activities

Birdwatching, hikining, hunting

Plants & Anmials

image of 'ohelo

ʻOhelo (Vaccinium calycinum)

image of 'uki

ʻUki (Machaerina angustifolia)

ʻŌhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)

image of a'ali'i

ʻAʻaliʻi (Dodonaea viscosa)

image of ama'u

Amaʻu (Sadleria pallida)

image of Koki‘o ‘ula‘ula

Kokiʻo ʻulaʻula (Hibiscus kokio subsp. kokio)

image of mamaki

Māmaki (Pipturus albidus)

image of uluhe

Uluhe (Dicranopteis linearis)

image of ma'o hau hele

Maʻo hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei)

     

Plants

Animals

Gouania hillebrandii

 

Gouania vitifolia

 

Kio‘ele (Hedyotis coriacea)

 

Hesperomannia arborescens

 

Ma’o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei)

 

Platanthera holochila

 

Remya mauiensis

 

Sanicula purpurea

 

Sandalwood, ‘Iliahi (Santalum freycinetianum var. lanaiense)

 

Ohai (Sesbania tomentosa)

 

Spermolepis hawaiiensis

 

Tetramolopium remyi

 

*Images provided by the Hawaiian Native Plant website through the Department of Botany, University of Hawai‘i.

West Maui Gouania hillebrandii

Gouania hillebrandii (No Common Name)

West Maui Gouania vitifolia

Gouania vitifolia

West Maui Hesperomannia arborescens

Hesperomannia arborescens

West Maui Hibiscus brackenridgei

Ma’o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei)

West Maui Platanthera holochila

Platanthera holochila (No common name)

West Maui Remya mauiensis

Remya mauiensis (No Common Name)

West Maui Santalum freycinetianum var. lanaiense

Sandalwood, ‘Iliahi (Santalum freycinetianum var. lanaiense)

West Maui Sesbania tomentosa

Ohai (Sesbania tomentosa)

West Maui Spermolepis hawaiiensis

Spermolepis hawaiiensis (No common name)

West Maui Tetramolopium remyi

Tetramolopium remyi (No common name)

Plans & Projects

Additional Resources (optional)

Photos