In a long-range effort to combat global warming, Hawaii is pledging to plant and restore 100 million trees throughout the state by 2030.
The state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said it will initially focus on preserving existing forests and planting trees in rural and urban areas. The initiative is part of the World Economic Forum’s attempt to conserve 1 trillion trees around the world to help remove carbon from the atmosphere and combat global warming, according to Hawaii News Now.
"Nothing is more urgent than protecting our planet. Planting these trees will help capture carbon and serve as an important step in fighting the climate crisis. And $5.2 million in federal funding for forest restoration will support Hawaii’s unique environment, recharge the aquifers supplying our state’s water and protect our birds, fish and coral reefs," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) wrote in a Sept. 25 Facebook post.
Suzanne Case, chair of the DLNR, predicted the state will conserve 43,000 acres of forest and build conservation fences to protect an additional 106,800 acres from feral animals.
“This funding will help fight the climate crisis while ensuring that damaged forests grow back stronger than ever, maintaining the integrity of Hawaii’s unique environment,” Schatz told Hawaii News Now.
Private landowners will partner with the state to plant 210,000 native trees and remove invasive plants from 1,650 acres that currently are highly flammable. Fences are already up on Kauai at Na Pali-Kona Forest Reserve and Koke'e State Park. Officials said previous efforts are already making a difference, with researchers reporting that 2.69 metric tons of carbon dioxide had been sequestered by Hawaii forests in 2017.