Department of Agriculture in Hawaii (extra)

Plants and Animals Declaration Form

This is a mandatory form required to be filled out before entering the state. You are mandated to declare the plants and animals you bring to Hawaii. This is created so harmful diseases are not brought into the state.

Dole Plantation

Pineapples

Human Impact on Auwahi

Significance of Auwahi

There are many reasons to why we chose to research more information about Auwahi. In its territory,  this native forest is the richest botanical region and also has more tree species than any other rainforest in Hawaii. Its ethnobotanical use is a huge factor of why it's a special dry land forest. There are fifty rare species of trees found in Auwahi. Out of fifty, forty-one trees are ethnobotanically used. They are used for medicines, canoe construction, kappa making, dye colors, making tools, and religious reasons. Another reason to why we chose Auwahi is that it has been degrading over time which now threatens its existence in Maui. In order to keep this dry land forest, the Auwahi Restoration Group has been created. Every Saturday, volunteers come together to restore the native forest back to what it use to be. Without their help, the trees and its benefits would be extinct.

Ethnobotanical Uses

Maua
It is used for wood. It's heavy, however it can be easily worked on.





'Ohe Mauka
Early Hawaiians used the fruits to medicinally tend to infants.







Iliahi
Early Hawaiians used it for clothing. Now the fruit is used as a dye sometimes and the flowers are used for leis.

CURRENT HUMAN-IMPACT

The reason why Auwahi is stable is because of the many volunteers that help restore this important forest. These dedicated group of volunteers come from all over Hawaii. Dramatic changes have been made over the past three years to this restoration project. Over thousands of plants have been planted plus many weeds have been pulled due to the generous time volunteers have put in. They plant seeds and grow them in greenhouses until they are ready to return out as strong plants in the forest. The main reason why this restoration project is growing is because of the Auwahi Restoration Group which meets every Saturday. Along with the many volunteers that help restore this native forest, a wind farm was created in 2012 which will help Hawaii achieve its goal of generating its energy from renewable sources by 2030. The benefits of these eight turbines is that it helps preserve the agricultural and rural sites of Auwahi.
I feel that if we continue with groups that are trying to restore the native forest such as Auwahi Restoration Group, we can continue to see improvement with the growth of Auwahi. I believe if they continue nursing plants until they are strong in greenhouses will help the native forest. Over time, Auwahi will improve; however, we must continue dedicating time to fix this native forest.

This what the restoration project looks like from the air.

HOW TO IMPROVE AUWAHI

To help improve Auwahi, we must start by volunteering through the Auwahi Restoration Group. This group is made of private and public agencies working together to improve the conditions of the native forest. Every Saturday, groups of volunteers come to restore Auwahi. In the span of three years, improvements have been made such as 7,000 native plants being replanted and many weeds have been pulled. They also collect seeds and grow them in greenhouses. This allows the plants to be nurtured until they are strong enough to return back. Because of the volunteers, we are able to see vast improvements of Auwahi. If we continue to help contribute to the native forest restoration: Auwahi will not be extinct and it will continue to prosper throughout the years.

REFRENCES

"Natural Areas of Hawaii." Auwahi. N.p., 13 Jan 2008. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
"Volunteering: What to Expect.: Volunteer Opportunities at Auwahi. 'Olino, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015
" Santalum Haleakalae Var. Haleakalae." Native Plants Hawaii. University of Hawaii, 2009. Web.
         22 Nov. 2015.
" Polyscias Sandwicensis." Native Plants Hawaii. University of Hawaii, 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
"What's Next for Maui Restoration Group." Preserve Hawaii. N.p., 24 May 2010. Web.
        22 Nov. 2015.

Auwahi

Auwahi Hawaii is a Tropical Dry Rainforest in Hawaii.

HISTORICAL STATE

Auwahi was first discovered by Joseph Rock in the early 1900s, who is said to have written that it was one of the richest areas in the state of Hawaii, only to return 20 years later in 1939 distraught over the destruction that had occurred in the area. Based on fossil research in the area, the forest was once home to extreme biodiversity of Hawaiian birds, but is now silent. The transformation of Auwahi can be contributed to human activity: burning, grazing, and invasion of non-native species. The invasion of non native species is so expansive in this forest that much of its original shrub and understory is replaced by kikuyu grass, a non native species. Because this grass creates such a thick matt in the forest, it is very difficult for the native seedlings to survive and flourish in the forest. Another major impact on the Hawaiian dry forest was the expansion of cattle grazing in the 19th century, turning the forests into grasslands. The Auwahi forest has been the subject of lots of conservation projects since the 1960s but they have had very limited success.





FUTURE

Restoration has become a main focus for the Auwahi forest since the 1960s, but more recent strategies of conservation seem to be becoming more and more successful. More recently, the US department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maui County Department of Water Supply, and Haleakala National Park have enclosed a 10 acre area of the forest to be protected where all the invasive non-native weeds were removed to give the ecosystem a chance to reestablish itself. However, the most of the rare trees in the area have not produced seedlings in 50-100 years. In order to help the development of new trees, conservation groups began gathering and germinating seeds in a greenhouse. After 2 years, 2,500 seedlings had grown and were ready to be out planted. Even more efforts have been made to ensure healthy enough soil for the seedlings to thrive in the forest and as a result the future prospect of the ecosystem seems good. Humans are concerned about conserving this ecosystem and have taken effective measures in preserving it thus far so the Auwahi forest seems to have a good future.

This table shows the population increase in Auwahi forest of different species after a five year exclosure project. More than 1400 species were planted inside the exclosure, which protects the plant species from roaming animals and allows them a chance to grow and restore themselves.

HUMAN IMPACT

Although initially the human impact on Auwahi may have been negative, through extensive involvement, humans have actually helped restore much of the forest. This can be seen in this photo:

Another impact that has resulted from human activity is the placement of a wind farm in Auwahi. While this creates great opportunity to bring Hawaii closer to its goal of 40% renewable resources by 2020, it also effects the restoration project of the land. So while there are great programs in place to keep land safe, such as putting together exclosure projects, there are still areas that humans are taking advantage of.

REFERENCES

"Auwahi Wind 'huge Milestone' in Hawaii's Clean Energy Quest." - Mauinews.com. Web.
          23 Nov. 2015.
"Auwahi Wind - Sempra U.S. Gas & Power." Sempra US Gas Power. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
"Field Notes." Auwahi. Web. 19 Nov. 2015. 
Medeiros, Arthur, and Erica Von Allmen. "Restoration of Native Hawaiian Dryland Forest at   
Auwahi, Maui." US     Geological Surveys. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.
Medeiros AC, Davenport CF, Chimera CG. 1998. Auwahi: ethnobotany of a Hawaiian
          dryland forest. Honolulu (HI): Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, 
          University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany. PCSU Technical Report, 117.
Perkins, K. S., J. R. Nimmo, and A. C. Medeiros (2012), Effects of native forest restoration
          on soil hydraulic properties, Auwahi, Maui, Hawaiian Islands, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39

"Partners in Hawaiian Conservation." Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project. Web. 23 Nov.
          2015.
Rendon, Fausto. "Tropical Dry Forests of Hawaii." :. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.