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Forestry Information on the Internet

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Foresters worldwide communicate and publish information on the internet. The following web sites contain useful information for Hawaii foresters and tree farmers.

Agroforestry

Cost-Share and Financial Assistance Programs

Economics

  • Financial Analysis for Tree Farming in Hawaii, is a guide for tree farmers in calculating economic costs and benefits of timber plantations. The pamphlet explains how to compare current costs of establishing plantations with anticipated future timber harvests. A companion spreadsheet  (MS Excel format, 274 K byte size) with the examples from the pamphlet may be downloaded from the CTAHR web site. The spreadsheet may be used as a template for growers to enter their own data to perform financial analysis for their own tree farms.

  • Permanent Agricultural Resources publishes a manual on "Economics of Farm Forestry: Financial Evaluation for Landowners" as part of the Agroforestry Guides
    for Pacific Islands
    . The manual introduces strategies for determining the financial returns of small-scale forestry and farm forestry projects and includes a discussion
    of the advantages and disadvantages of investing in farm forestry and the steps in determining the costs involved, estimating returns, and comparing farm forestry with other land uses.

  • Quicksilver is an economic analysis software package developed by the USDA Forest Service to help private landowners make informed management systems. The program is free and may be downloaded from this site.

  • FORVAL for Windows is a user-friendly program developed by Mississippi State to help landowners evaluate timberland investments from a financial standpoint. The software calculates Net Present Value, Rate of Return, Equivalent Annual Income, Land Expectation Value, and Benefit/Cost Ratios. Users must supply their own costs and estimates of timber yields and stumpage values.

  • Current federal income tax information for forest landowners is provided by the USDA Forest Service.

  • The National Timber Tax website, created by Purdue University and the USDA Forest Service, covers specific transactions, tax strategies, financial & estate planning, and new developments in the tax code.

  • Articles on Forest Economics and Taxes are published by the University of Georgia.

Environmental education

  • The Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife has a website for kids featuring coloring books about Hawaii's forest birds and endangered animals.

  • The Hawaii Environmental Education Association "provides environmental educators with opportunities for professional development; fosters communication among environmental educators, promotes sharing of ideas, resource materials, and innovative education programs; and works to strengthen public support of environmental education."

  • The Tropical Reforestation and Ecosystems Education (TREE) Center in Kona, Hawaii "involves youth and community in active stewardship of Hawaiian forests. In doing so, we put children in touch with the living natural world and teach them what thriving forests actually do for us."

  • The Koke`e Natural History Museum "provides interpretive programs and exhibitions about Kaua'i' s ecology, geology and climatology."

  • `Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi is a Hawaiian group dedicated to preserving native Hawaiian ecosystems.

  • The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii preserves plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protectingthe lands and waters they need to survive. Staff and volunteers offer monthly hikes and work trips to Conservancy preserves on Molokai, Maui, and Oahu.

  • Project Learning Tree "is ... an environmental education program for educators working with students in Pre-K through grade 12. PLT helps students gain awareness and knowledge of the natural and built environment, their place within it, as well as their responsibility for it." The PLT program has been widely used in the United States and abroad, including in Hawaii and the American-affiliated Pacific Islands.

Forest certification

  • The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization developing guidelines and criteria for "environmentally appropriate and socially beneficial" forestry worldwide. Certification organizations accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council include SmartWood and Scientific Certification Systems (SCS).

  • The American Tree Farm System is a national association of non-industrial, private tree growers throughout the United States. Tree farmers subscribe to environmental principles and tree farms are regularly inspected by volunteer foresters.

  • The American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), "the national trade association of the forest, paper, and wood products industries," sponsors the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a set of environmental standards for industrial forestry in the United States.

  • The Green Tag Forestry system is a "third-party certification that was developed by the National Forestry Association in cooperation with the Association of Consulting Foresters and the National Woodland Owners Association. It is national in scope and the only program that is intended solely for use by private forest landowners. The program complements those sponsored by American Tree Farm and Forest Stewardship Council. It is also similar in some respects to the forest industry's Sustainable Forestry Initiative and State/Federal Forest Stewardship Incentive Programs."

  • "The Certified Forest Products Council is an independent, not-for-profit, voluntary initiative committed to promoting responsible forest products buying practices throughout North       America in an effort to improve forest management practices worldwide." The Council supports the FSC standards.

Forest tree seed

Note: Many tree species imported into Hawaii have become pests invading native ecosystems. Before bringing any tree seed into the state, growers are urged to screen species for weediness potential. Growers may check the Hawaii Weed Risk Assessment database maintained by UH Botany. Learn more about problems caused by alien invasive species at the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk web site. Note that imports of some trees and some microorganisms are restricted by the State of Hawaii. Hawaii tree growers should check with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture Plant Quarantine branch regarding current regulations. Imports of tree seed from outside of the United States require a permit from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Forest tree species

Note: Many tree species imported into Hawaii have become pests invading native ecosystems. Before bringing any tree seed into the state, growers are urged to screen species for weediness potential. Growers may check the Hawaii Weed Risk Assessment database maintained by UH Botany. Learn more about problems caused by alien invasive species at the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk web site.
  • CTAHR publishes on-line leaflets on ornamental trees, including aalii (Dodonaea viscosa), hala (Pandanus tectorius), hapuu (Cibotium spp.), naio (Myoporum sandwicense), ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), and wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis).

  • The University of Hawaii Botany Department's Native Hawaiian Plants web site contains pictures of hundreds of native plants. The Campus Plants site features pictures of many more popular tropical ornamental and forest trees.

  • The Plants of Hawaii Image Index is a new website including over 6,000 images (high-resolution and copyright-free) of over 900 plant taxa of Hawaii. Included are both native and alien species. Also, there are detailed species reports and Maui-occurrence roadside maps for many of the species. The site was created by Forest and Kim Starr of the USGS Biological Resources Division Haleakala Field Station.

  • Canoe Plants of Ancient Hawai`i is "today's guide to yesterday's life-sustaining plants carried by early Polynesian voyagers in their canoes." The site includes identification,      propagation methods, and cultural uses of the Polynesian introduced agricultural plants, including the trees kamani (Calophyllum inophyllum), kou (Cordia subcordata), kukui (Aluerites moluccana), and milo (Thespesia populnea).

  • Permanent Agricultural Resources publishes a manual on "Multipurpose Trees for Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands" as part of the Agroforestry Guides for Pacific Islands. The manual "introduces traditional Pacific Island agroforestry systems and species. Provides a species table with over 130 multipurpose trees used in Pacific Island agroforestry, detailing information on uses (food, fodder, timber, etc.) and tree characteristics such as height, growth rates, and habitat requirements. "

  • The Flora of the Hawaiian Islands website of the Smithsonian Institution is a database of flowering plants and ferns in Hawaii, both native and naturalized. “The present checklist database consists of 153 families, 746 genera, and 2,254 taxa of flowering plants and 28 families, 73 genera, and 214 taxa of ferns and related groups.” The site contains information on the taxonomy, the range of the species, and the conservation status, but not botanical descriptions. Many of the species are illustrated with photographs. The primary sources of information for the site are the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i by Wagner, Herbst, and Sohmer (1999) and Hawai'i's Ferns and Fern Allies by Daniel Palmer (University of Hawaii press, 2003).

  • The National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai hosts a new web-site devoted to breadfruit . The site covers uses, propagation, history, germplasm collection, varieties, resources, and much more.

  • The Forest, Farm, and Community Tree Network (FACTnet), formerly the Nitrogen Fixing Tree Association, has fact sheets on over 80 multi-purpose trees, mainly tropical and mainly nitrogen fixing. Other publications on production and use of multipurpose trees are also available. While FACTnet has ceased active operations, Winrock International will be maintaining the web site.

  • The USDA Forest Service publishes an on-line manual, Silvics of North America. Tropical species listed include koa (Acacia koa), ironwood (Casuarina spp.), Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata), Cordia alliodora, tabonuco (Dacroydes excelsa), several Eucalyptus spp., silk oak (Grevillea robusta), ausubo (Manilkara bidentata), paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia), ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), monkeypod (Pithecellobium [Albizia] saman), and kiawe (Prosopis pallida).

  • Purdue University publishes a crop index of new or little used crops, including many tropical fast-growing trees. Most forestry information is from the Handbook of Energy Crops, James A. Duke, 1983 (unpublished).

  • The Agroforestree Database of the World Agroforestry Centre (formerly the International Center for Research in Agroforestry, ICRAF) contains well-researched summary articles on many agroforestry and forestry species. Summaries include botanical descriptions, ecology and distribution, propagation and management, uses, pests and diseases, and references.

  • The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) publishes articles on important timber trees including Eucalyptus deglupta, Swietenia macrophylla (Honduran mahogany), and Gmelina arborea.

  • The USDA Forest Service International Institute for Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico publishes Silvics of Native and Exotic Trees of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands, with information on over 100 common tropical tree species, many of which occur in Hawaii. In Spanish. English versions of a few species may be found on the USDA FS Silvics of North America website.

  • The Queensland government publishes information on Hardwoods of Queensland, many of which grow in Hawaii, including Acacia, Cardwellia, Calophyllum, Eucalyptus, Flindersia, Intsia, Koompassia, and Toona.

Forestry in Hawaii

  • CTAHR offers undergraduate and graduate courses in agriculture and natural resources and conducts research throughout the state. The CTAHR Publications and Information Office provides access to databases, publications, faculty and staff, ongoing projects, and services provided by the college. Free publications on agriculture and natural resources are available on-line.

  • The Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry Ecosystem Management (Forest TEAM) program at Hawaii Community College in Hilo offers hands-on courses in agroforestry, forestry surveying, geographic information systems, business management, silviculture, and forest pest management.

  • The Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources is responsible for managing forests on state lands. The website gives information on DOFAW's programs on watersheds, fire management, hunting, conservation, forestry, recreation, and private landowner incentives. Highlights of the web site include publications on timber inventories in Waiakea, Hamakua, and Kauai. and a special section on 2003, The Year of the Hawaiian Forest.

  • The Hawaii Forestry and Communities Initiative is a combined effort of State of Hawaii and US federal government agencies to promote forestry in Hawaii. The web site includes a good history of forestry in Hawaii, information on the effects of forestry on Hawaii's economy and ecology, and some individual species information. A market report for the eight most popular Hawaiian woods may be downloaded.

  • The Hawaii Agriculture Gateway contains a history of agriculture in Hawaii, which includes some important dates in forestry.

  • The USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry serves Hawaii and the American-affiliated Pacific Islands. Current research focuses on ecosystem restoration, management of invasive species, and tropical forested wetlands, especially mangroves. The Institute also provides forest management services to government agencies and non-governmental organizations throughout the Pacific. A bibliography lists publications since 1958 covering topics from wood technology to silviculture to wildlife biology in Hawaii. Publications are available at libraries or may be ordered from the Pacific Southwest Research Station.

  • The Hawai`i Forest Industry Association (HFIA) is a "non-profit organization founded by and for people interested in managing and maintaining healthy, sustainable and productive forests... HFIA promotes a balance of forest land uses ranging from pristine native forests to areas managed for economically productive purposes." A market report for the eight most popular Hawaiian woods may be downloaded from the web site. The full text of the Hawaii Tropical Forest Recovery Action Plan is also available.

  • The Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, formerly the Hawaiian Sugar Planter's Association, continues their long association with Hawaii forestry with research in tree improvement of koa and eucalyptus species and production of non-timber forest products.

  • The Hawaii Ecosystems Project "is a consortium of Stanford University and the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. We enable and support research by scientists from institutions worldwide who study questions in forest ecology, ecosystem restoration, pedology, atmospheric chemistry, isotope geochemistry, and related fields at a variety of Hawaii sites."

  • Research on the ecology and production of Eucalyptus and mixed-species plantations in Hawaii is being carried out at Colorado State University. Photographs, graphs of data and results, and references are available at the web site.

Measurement of trees and logs

National and international forestry organizations

  • The Society of American Foresters (SAF) is "the national scientific and educational organization representing the forestry profession in the United States." The web site includes general information about forestry, national news regarding forestry and natural resources, and information on forestry education throughout the United States.

  • The American Tree Farm System is a national association of non-industrial, private tree growers throughout the United States. Tree Farmer Magazine, the System's publication, is "the practical guide to sustainable forestry", and contains tips and information useful to Hawaii tree growers.

  • The American Forests Foundation promotes tree planting nationwide. Their web site includes information on urban forestry, trees and climate change, national forestry policy, and the National Register of Big Trees (Hawaii not included!) They also publish the magazine American Forests.

  • The International Tropical Timber Organization web site contains both updates on the timber trade worldwide and news about tropical forestry. The newsletter Tropical Forest Update is available on-line and by mail.

  • The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), part of CGIAR, publishes both scientific and socio-economic research papers on international forestry, including many for the tropics. Many publications are available on-line.

  • The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forestry program website publishes technical and socio-economic reports on international forestry. The website includes a series of Information Notes on selected specific programs and activities in sustainable forest management; the State of the World's Forests 1999, on-line data bases; and "the electronic version of Unasylva, the quarterly international journal of forestry and forest industries published by FAO."

  • METLA, the Finnish Forest Research Institute, publishes a world-wide-web library of forestry information, including a comprehensive section on forest genetics and tree breeding.

Native Hawaiian trees and plants

  • CTAHR publishes on-line leaflets on ornamental trees, including aalii (Dodonaea viscosa), hala (Pandanus tectorius), hapuu (Cibotium spp.), naio (Myoporum sandwicense), ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), and wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis).

  • The University of Hawaii Botany Department's Native Hawaiian Plants web site contains pictures of hundreds of native plants. The Campus Plants site contains pictures of many more popular tropical ornamental and forest trees. The Alien Plant Studies site describes invasive alien species in Hawaii.

  • The University of Hawaii Library Science and Technology Reference Department web site lists on-line journals and databases for Pacific Botany.

  • The Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation database currently contains descriptions and information on propagation for indigenous and endemic Hawaiian plants. The plants included in this database have actual or potential value as landscape, lei, medicine, fiber, food, or wood products.

  • Canoe Plants of Ancient Hawai`i is "today's guide to yesterday's life-sustaining plants carried by early Polynesian voyagers in their canoes." The site includes identification, propagation methods, and cultural uses of the Polynesian introduced agricultural plants, including the trees kamani (Calophyllum inophyllum), kou (Cordia subcordata), kukui (Aluerites moluccana), and milo (Thespesia populnea).

  • How to plant a native Hawaiian garden is "a handbook for educators, school administrators, students, parents, and community members who are interested in establishing a native Hawaiian garden." The site contains photos and information on growing 35 native and Polynesian-introduced trees and plants, as well as advice on garden design and layout.

  • The Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk web site describes the threat that alien invasive plant and animal species constitute to Hawaii's native biota. The site contains descriptions of individual species, maps of their ranges, and outlines current programs to combat them.

  • The web site for the Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Kona describes ancient Hawaiian agricultural technologies.

  • Other botanical gardens in Hawaii are described on the University of Hawaii at Manoa library web site.

  • The Native Plant Network propagation protocol database reviews propagation techniques for dozens of both native and exotic tree species for Hawaii.

  • The Flora of the Hawaiian Islands website of the Smithsonian Institution is a database of flowering plants and ferns in Hawaii, both native and naturalized. “The present checklist database consists of 153 families, 746 genera, and 2,254 taxa of flowering plants and 28 families, 73 genera, and 214 taxa of ferns and related groups.” The site contains information on the taxonomy, the range of the species, and the conservation status, but not botanical descriptions. Many of the species are illustrated with photographs. The primary sources of information for the site are the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i by Wagner, Herbst, and Sohmer (1999) and Hawai'i's Ferns and Fern Allies by Daniel Palmer (University of Hawaii press, 2003).

Nurseries

Pests and diseases

Soils and fertilizers

Urban forestry and ornamental trees

  • CTAHR publishes information on cultivation of different species of ornamental trees common in Hawaii, including native Hawaiian species, and on planting, watering, fertilizing, pruning, and staking and guying landscape trees. Publications are also available on salt and wind tolerance of landscape trees and using trees to save energy.

  • The University of Hawaii Botany Department's Campus Plants web site features pictures of many popular tropical ornamental and landscape trees and plants.

  • Information on xeriscaping, using dryland plants for landscaping in dry areas, is available from the Maui Board of Water Supply and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

  • Ideas on the right tree to plant in different locations on Maui are presented on the Maui Planting Plan website.

  • The Kaululani Urban and Community Forestry Program of the Hawaii State Division of Forestry and Wildlife focuses on improving the health and viability of trees in Hawaiian communities through educational programs, financial support in the form of cost-share grants, technical training, Arbor Day promotion and partnerships with the public and private sectors, community groups and non-profit organizations.

  • Information on recognizing and managing hazard trees in urban settings is published by the USDA Forest Service.

  • The American Forests Foundation promotes tree planting nationwide. Their web site includes information on urban forestry, trees and climate change, national forestry policy, and the National Register of Big Trees (Hawaii not included!) They also publish the magazine American Forests.

Weed control

  • CTAHR publishes several manuals on weed control, including Woody Plant Control for the Home, Pasture, and Forest; Herbicidal Weed Control Methods for Pastures and Natural Areas of Hawaii, Before You Buy or Apply an Herbicide, and results of field trials of herbicides for the years 1998 to 2001.

  • Research on weed science in Hawaii by Dr. Joe DeFrank, including information on the use of native grasses for cover crops in tree plantations.

Wood and other forest products

Giant koa tree in the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii

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-Gifford Pinchot, first Chief, USDA Forest Service

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Page last updated on 12/16/2004 
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