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.