303 



Owing" to the geological formation of the island of Hawaii 

 there are no running streams south of the 1855 and 1881 lava 

 flows that come down the side of Mauna Loa back of Hilo town 

 on lands lying immediately to the north of Waiakea. It is quite 

 possible that springs and water holes may later be discovered in 

 the Waiakea forest, for at present almost nothing is known accu- 

 rately about the interior of this tract ; but there are no running" 

 streams coming from it. 



The question of stream protection does not, therefore, figure 

 on Waiakea, but there are other reasons why it is important that 

 existing areas of forest should receive the care and protection of 

 the government. Until many more scientific data than are now 

 available have been collected, it is impossible to tell how far- 

 reaching may be the influence exerted on the country immedi- 

 ately surrounding large bodies of continuous forest, but it is evi- 

 dent that such influence does exist and that it is beneficial. Par- 

 ticularly is this true in the tropics and sub-tropics. 



Further, on Waiakea it may happen that in time the question 

 may arise of devoting portions of this forest to commercial util- 

 ization. To safeguard the interests of the government in all 

 these ways and to be ready for any sort of development that may 

 come about, it is desirable that the Waiakea forest become the 

 Waiakea forest reserve. 



The area proposed to be set apart is 51,800 acres. Of this 

 600 acres is a part of the land of Piihonua, a remnant mainly cov- 

 ered with lava, between the boundaries of the Hilo forest reserve 

 antt Waiakea. Piihonua is now under lease No. 103 to Hon. 

 John T. Baker, expiring on March 21, 1921. 



At the present time all of the land of Waiakea is under an 

 expiring 30-year lease to the Waiakea Mill Co. (No. 124) that 

 runs out on June 1, 1918. No use is at present made of the 

 forest. Beyond the general clause against waste, common to the 

 leases of that time, the lessees are not obligated to protect the 

 forest. 



The forest on Waiakea is a: practically unexplored region. It 

 is a dense stand of the rain-forest type. Ohia-lehua is the pre- 

 dominating tree. Along its lower side, where the forest is crossed 

 by the Olaa flume, are numerous groups of loulu palms, growing 

 in company with great tree ferns. And throughout, so far as the 

 interior is known, there is a dense stand of the undergrowth char- 

 acteristic of this type of Hawaiian forest. 

 Boundaries. 



The upper and lower boundaries of the proposed Upper Waia- 

 kea forest reserve have been somewhat arbitrarily fixed by draw- 

 ing lines across the land from known points on the outside boun- 

 daries, but it is believed that they serve the purpose at this time 

 as well as if they had been run out on the ground. The makai 

 line very nearly parallels the flume constructed to carry water 



