Maui Nui Forest Users

Seven volcanoes built the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Kahoʻolawe, or Maui Nui.  During the last great ice age, when sea levels were lower, they were all connected.  Each island in the archipelago can have endemic animals or plants, species found only in one place, on that one island, but because of old connections, some rare species may be found across Maui Nui, but nowhere else in the state.  On Maui alone, dozens of unique landscapes can be reached by car or on foot in a single day; from wet sea-level forests, to montane cloud forests, to alpine shrub forests, cinder deserts, to dry leeward forests, wetlands and coral reefs.  Micro-habitats packed so tightly on an island is a double-edged sword: while exhilarating to explore, such small gems are difficult to protect.  The Maui Nui branch of DLNR/DOFAW works to protect watersheds, native and endangered species and provide hiking, hunting and outdoor spaces.  Many of the Maui Nui DLNR/DOFAW lands are surrounded by private property and are inaccessible, but you can explore from home through these pages, visit our page for DOFAW-managed lands for Maui Nui and dive deeper into resources at our Education Homepage.