Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife ...

Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
Appendix L. Summary of Past and Current Management
When Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1985 to protect native forest habitat
for endangered animals and plants, the initial lands acquired with the help of the Nature Conservancy
had been used for cattle ranching, some of which had also been logged. As such, the condition of the
native forest had been degraded by 100 years of cattle grazing, with about 5,000 acres of upper
elevation forest (mostly above 6,000 ft) converted into open woodland and pasture dominated by
introduced grasses (though most of the Refuge still had closed canopy forest, with the most intact
areas in the lower elevations). Under the closed canopy forest, certain sections of the understory had
been disturbed by cattle, pigs, and rats. The mesic koa/‘ōhi‘a and koa/māmane forests were the most
severely degraded. Listed species that were found at the time included Phyllostegia racemosa and
Clermontia lindseyana. The first initial management actions implemented by the Refuge included
surveys (forest bird, native plant, weed, ungulate), construction of ungulate proof fences, ungulate
removal, weed control, and reforestation (outplanting of koa) and reforestation research focused on
techniques (mainly with assistance of the USFS-Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry (IPIF)). Due to
the remote location of the Refuge, a cabin and storage building as well as water catchment systems
had to be constructed to support Refuge operations. The last cattle permitted to graze at the Refuge
were removed in 1996. Over the years, other parcels of the Refuge (Pua ‘Ākala, Middle Papaikou,
Middle Hakalau, and units B-F) were acquired so that today, HFU is 32,730 acres.
In 1997, an additional 5,300 acres was purchased from the Les Marks Estate in South Kona, bringing
the total Refuge acreage up to 38,030 acres. This unit was established specifically for the endangered
‘alalā, as well as other listed species. Vegetation at the lower portions, around the 2,000-foot
elevation, was dominated by a mixture of introduced and native trees, shrubs, and grasses. These
included guava (Psidium guajava), strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum), silky oak (Grevillea
robusta), and Christmas berry (Schinus terebinthifolius), and ‘ōhi‘a (Metrosideros polymorpha) was
the most common native tree. Above the 2,500-foot elevation, introduced trees and shrubs become
less prevalent, and the forest community was dominated by an overstory of ‘ōhi‘a trees and an
understory of native trees, shrubs, and hapu‘u tree ferns (Cibotium spp.). Between the 3,000-
6,000 foot elevations, a diverse native forest community was found. This forest type is characterized
by an overstory comprised of a mixture of koa (Acacia koa) and ‘ōhi‘a trees and an understory of
native shrubs and hapu‘u. Cattle grazing had created pastures in some of these upper elevations.
Above the 6,000-foot elevation, the native forest was characterized by a mixed māmane-sandalwood
(Sophora chrysophylla-Santalum ellipticum) and koa or ‘ōhi‘a dryland natural communities with
ground cover of nonnative grasses and native shrubs. Listed species found included the ‘ōpe‘ape‘a,
Hawai‘i ‘ākepa, the Hawai‘i creeper, the ‘akiapōlā‘au, and the ‘io. Initial refuge management of this
unit included securing road access, surveys (forest bird, native plant, weed, ungulate), and
establishing a field camp.
Current Refuge management for both units (Hakalau Forest Unit and Kona Forest Unit) revolves
around maintaining and constructing new fencing, controlling pest species (plants and animals),
native forest restoration, reforestation, and threatened and endangered species management. In
addition, the Refuge contains structures and facilities that existed before the original acquisition. The
Refuge has built its own facilities to support management. All require maintenance, including a
candidate historic structure (Pua ‘Ākala Cabin). Chapter 5 provides additional information on Refuge
facilities.
Appendix L. Summary of Past and Current Management L-1