Yvonne Yarber Carter
Non Forest Service
Only 5 percent of Hawai‘i’s dry tropical forest remains. A special science experience was having two different kinds of volunteer groups help with our restoration efforts in the dry forest. We had a group of intermediate students from Hawai‘i from a program called Na Kahumoku. These students teamed up with a group from Cornell University’s Environmental Earth Sciences program. They mentored each other. Because Na Kahumoku had worked with us many times before, the students had plenty to share about dry forest restoration.
The Cornell students shared science that applied to the restoration. I could feel their excitement about seeing how the trees and shrubs they had planted as seedlings were thriving. That excitement has grown into real commitment, and each year a new Cornell group comes. They measure and record growth data on those trees planted the year before.
When two groups come together in harmony, the days are filled with aloha, learning, hope, knowledge, and being part of change for the better. It feels like we can, one day at a time, heal this dry forest budding up out of the lava. In this photo, I am talking to students about the dry forest of Ka‘ūpūlehu before working on the land.
Featured from Natural Inquirer
-
The Ka‘ūpūlehu dry forest is located on the leeward size of the island of Hawai‘i. The forest land is owned by Kamehameha Schools, which is dedicated to preserving traditional Hawaiian...Left High and Dry? Attempting to Restore a Tropical Dry Forest in Hawaii
The Ka‘ūpūlehu dry forest is located on the leeward size of the island of Hawai‘i. The forest land is owned by Kamehameha Schools, which is dedicated to preserving traditional Hawaiian...
