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KILAUEA NATIONAL PARK TREES 



By C. S. JuDD, Superintendent of Forestry. 



The Hawaii National Park consists of four sections located on 

 two diiiferent islands. The Haleakala Section, comprising 21.150 

 acres, is on the island of Maui and includes the largest extinct 

 volcano in the world. The summit of this mountain mass is 

 10,000 feet above sea level and the crater is seven and one-half 

 miles across and 2,000 feet deep. The floor of the crater is cov- 

 ered with numerous cinder cones, some of which are 700 feet 

 high. The scenic views from the rim of this crater are truly 

 wonderful, especially at sunset and dawn. 



The other three sections of this National Park are all on Ha- 

 waii, the largest island of the group. 



At the summit of Mauna Loa, or "Long Mountain," which 

 reaches a height of 13,675 feet, and wdiere snow is perpetual, the 

 park embraces 17,020 acres of lava flow wdlderness. Within this 

 area is the crater of Mokuaweoweo, which is almost four miles 

 across, and which occasionally is in acti\e eruption. 



Connecting this section and the last and most interesting, there 

 is provision for 360 acres, consisting of a right of way for a 

 road to be definitely located at a later date. 



The last section includes 35,865 acres of land around the ac- 

 cessible and famous active volcano of Kilauea, to which it is 

 planned soon to add approximately 43,400 acres of the great Kau 

 desert. When this is accomplished and roads have been devel- 

 oped, it will be possible in the morning to snowshoe or ski in 

 perpetual snow 13,000 feet above the sea and in the afternoon to 

 bathe in the warm w^aters of the Pacific Ocean or bask on the 

 sunlit sands at the beach. Between these tw^o extremities various 

 temperatures and cliniiates may be enjoyed and all of this is on 

 one National Park. 



The general elevation at Kilauea is a little under 4,000 feet 

 and the crater is three miles across. In one part of the floor of 

 this crater is Halemaumau, the lake of active lava, to almost the 

 very brink of which oi>e may travel in an automobile. 



While the Hawaii National Park will alwavs be chiefly noted 

 for its volcanic attractions, consisting of molten lava, sulphur 

 banks, the deep pit craters, etc., to many the interesting forest 

 growth w'ill hold a close second place. In the region of the 

 volcano of Kilauea there is a rapid transition from the dense, 

 boggy, wet rain forest, replete wdth the picturesque giant tree 

 ferns and palms, to a semi-wet forest of rather shrubby or 

 stunted vegetation which gradually dwindles away until only the 

 dry barren lava flow deserts possess the land. 



At the edge of this semi-wet forest there are areas called 

 kipu.kas, wdiich are virtually islands of black, fertile soil sur- 

 rounded by comparatively recent lava flows. These kipukas are 



