Summary
by Neil Logan
Kiawe as
a Species
Kiawe (Prosopis
pallida) is a salt-tolerant, nitrogen-fixing, desert-forest
pioneer legume tree brought to Hawaii from Peru in the early 1800’s. Its
primary use in West Hawaii has been as a shade tree and for animal fodder.
According to retired deputy state forester Colonel L.W. Bryan, “kiawe is the
most important and valuable tree ever introduced to the state.”
(Esbenshade,1980)
The Parker Ranch, the largest
sustainable cattle ranch operation in the United States, has used kiawe pods as
supplemental cattle fodder since its inception to fatten up cattle for market.
By way of alimentary transport via cow dung, trees quickly spread throughout
all of the main inhabited Hawaiian islands. Historically, the former Big Island
fishing village of Puakō became an important site for cattle to graze and
fatten on kiawe pods in the summer months when there was little other available
forage.
The
Present Challenge of Fire and Flood
The
Puako forest is located in a floodplain. Due to insufficient land management, periodic flooding to neighboring
resorts and residential homes has occurred several times over the last few decades. Until an effective flood mitigation
program is implemented, it is inevitable that flooding will occur again.
Over
many decades of relative neglect, a dense canopy of kiawe trees has formed.
Management efforts to curb this overgrowth have been token at best, especially
in light of the fire hazard this poses to neighboring tourist resorts and
upscale residential homes. Fire outbreaks have occurred in the last 3 decades,
most notably the fire which broke out in 1987. In the present, fire-fuel loads
have built up to dangerous proportions. A fire mitigation program needs to be
implemented immediately in order to address the issue.
The
Solution
The exhaustive treatise, Kiawe—Swaying
in the Breeze, authored by ethno-botanist /field researcher Neil Logan,
makes a strong case for the creation of a more symbiotic harmony between a
well-managed Puako kiawe forest and surrounding
resort/residential homes, emphasizing the vast potential resources that could
be sustainably developed from the kiawe forest—i.e. wood posts, firewood,
honey, kiawe pods for human consumption, medicinal extracts, edible mushroom
propagation, charcoal production—which to this day has been largely untapped.
First,
an integrated forest management plan must address the fire and flood issues before the
value-added products (firewood, food, honey, charcoal, medicinal extracts) are
developed. The logical first step in any proposed kiawe forest management
strategy must focus on the immediate creation of effective fuel breaks,
including the creation of accessible access ways into and through the forest.
The
creation of a fire-and-flood safe forest creates a foundation upon which larger issues of watershed management,
carbon sequestration, coral reef protection, local protection from climactic
extremes, global warming, regional food security,clean domestic energy
production are responsibly implemented, not only for the benefit of the present
citizen-stakeholders, but for future generations to come.
1)
Produce enough revenue per acre to return the land to “value-added, multi-use
sustainable native forest in perpetuity.
2)
Regenerate and diversify local industry.
3)
Support sustainable solutions to social challenges through education and
hands-on service-learning opportunities
4)
Produce enough clean domestic bio-energy to meet and exceed the eco-system
requirements
5)
Sequester atmospheric carbon
6)
Support sustainable food security
7)
Increase Bio-diversity,including the introduction of fire-resistant species
8)
Produce value-added products with enough economic value to support the project.
9)
Sustain fire-safe forests for open space, while protecting the reef, water
shed and community.
11)
Develop and demonstrate a sustainable system that is exportable to other sites
and cultures – using Puakō as a “living laboratory.”
Outline
of Proposed Implementation Strategy
Remove
ladder fuels and establish firebreaks.
Incorporate
fire-resistant native plants.
Clear
firebreaks and access ways.
Implement
flood prevention measures.
Use
grazing to reduce/maintain low fuel loads.
Manage
towards scattered tall trees (stand management, thinning, etc.)
Manage
for thorn-free varieties which enhance the flavor of kiawe pods for human food
consumption.
Secure
state-permitted forest management privileges.
Generate
funds from forest products to pay for management.
Encourage/support
diverse research on kiawe forest management.
Manage
for sustainable production of ecosystem services.
Time
Line and Costs
The project is expected
to take approximately 4 years to clean up the fuel loads and make the forest
fire-safe. After the initial clean up, the forest will require minimal periodic
maintenance. The fire mitigation program for the entire 1000 acres will cost
in excess of $30M. Itemized breakdown of estimated costs will be forthcoming.
Economic projections predict that the revenues generated via value-added products
will significantly offset the initial cost of managing the forest.
Conclusion
At very minimum, ethical social responsibility compels us to take
action so as to mitigate the dangers to the local community associated with
fire and flood damage. With careful planning, we can “midwife” the acceleration
of the naturally occurring process of ecological succession from the present
primitive desert forest to richly diverse, stable, multi-species forests which
require minimal maintenance to sustain.
The proposed strategy is realistic and
practical, economically sound, and ecologically sustainable. This project has
the larger potential to serve as a economically viable, working model to
catalyze the reforestation of the world's arid, saline, tropical deserts. The
global significance of this project also incorporates greater issues of global
warming, world hunger and native ecosystem restoration.