Hawaii Forest Institute 'invites you to explore the wonders of Hawaii's magnificent and unique forests'

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Wilds Pihanui Brawner, Ka‘ūpūlehu Dryland Forest Site Manager gives a planting demonstration for students. | HFIA

The Hawaii Forest Institute (HFI) is working tirelessly to manage sustainable forestry throughout the state.

Heather Simmons, executive director of HFI, shared more about the institute's operations and what Hawaii residents can expect in the near future.

"We control invasive weeds and plant seedlings, including rare and threatened and endangered species," Simmons told Big Island Times. "We have cultural educators who provide land-based education and service-learning opportunities for volunteers. We address nature deficit disorder by bringing youth to nature and address climate change by planting trees."

According to the HSI website, its mission is to promote the health and productivity of Hawaii's forests through forest restoration, public education, information dissemination, and support for scientific research, which are all qualities that attracted Simmons to the job.

Receiving her bachelor's degree in environmental studies with a specialty in natural resource management, Simmons wanted to join the organization to help HSI on projects that positively benefit the state's natural resources.

Some of these projects include Kalaemanō Cultural Center, Ka'ūpūlehu Dryland Forest, La'i'ōpua Dryland Habitat Preserve and Pālamanui Dry Forest, according to Simmons.

"In a typical year, we outplant 3,000 youth to nature and address climate change by planting trees ... we outplant 3,000 seedlings and engaged $4,000 volunteers in forest stewardship learning activities," Simmons said.

Simmons said that other projects join together stewardship forest activities with education on land to bring them to restoration fruition.

"The Honolulu Zoo Children's Discovery Forest and the Pana'ewa Zoo Discovery Forest are forest demonstration projects featuring Native and Polynesian-introduced species," Simmons said. "The Keauhou Bird Conservation Center (KBCC) Discovery Forest is a native forest with Acacia koa and 'Ōhi'a Lehua as the pioneer species. We have a management plan to restore 40 acres and have cleared 17.8 acres and outplanted over 12,800 native seedlings so far. KBCC is saving critically endangered Hawaiian birds from extinction including the Palila, 'Akeke'e, 'Akikiki, and the 'Alalā, which is extinct in the wild."

A nonprofit organization, Hawaii Forest Industry Association (HFIA), established the HFI in 2003 to promote healthy and productive forests and a sustainable forest industry through forest management, education, planning, information exchange and advocacy, according to the HSI website.

The Hawaii Forest Institute takes donations through its website to support many of its projects. To learn more about its projects, go to its website https://hawaiiforestinstitute.org/our-projects/.