196 

 DIVISION OF FORESTRY. 



Honolulu, May 31. 1914. 



Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry. 



Gentlemen : — I have the honor to submit as follows the routine 

 report of the Division of Forestry for the month of May, 1914: 



FOREST FENCIXG. 



Progress is being made on the several fencing jobs now under 

 way on forest reserve boundaries, under contracts or agreements 

 with the board, at Wailua, Kauai : Nahiku, Maui, and Kohala. 

 Hawaii. At other places on Hawaii and ^Nlaui forest fencing re- 

 quired under government leases is also going forward. In the 

 Kona district, Hawaii, an extensive project of rebuilding the 

 forest fences on the boundaries of the private forest reserves of 

 the Bishop Estate is pretty nearly completed. There are still a 

 good many places that need attention both on government and 

 privately-owned lands, but the end of this calendar year will see 

 the forest reserves, public and private, throughout the Territory 

 better protected than at any time previous. 



During the middle of the month. May 12-18, I made a week's 

 trip to Kona to arrange for the fencing of the Waiaha Spring 

 forest reserve in North Kona, and to inspect the fence about the 

 Honuaula forest reserve in the same district, which has recently 

 been put in repair by the lessees of the adjoining government 

 lands, Messrs. F. R. Greenwell and J. A. Alaguire. 



TREE PLANTING. 



I was glad wliile in Kona to find a newly-awakened interest in 

 tree-planting among several of the large landowners. On the 

 lands of the Greenwell estate considerable tree-planting is contem- 

 l^lated in the near future. On the Ca])tain Cook Coffee Company 

 holdings a very promising plantation of Sugi (Cryptoincria ja- 

 povica) has recently been established, and at Huehue. Mr. j. .\. 

 Maguire's ranch house, a ])U)t of a numlicr of species of eucalyptus 

 is doing well. In the vicinity of Iluehue the silk oak {Grci'illca 

 robusfo) has become well established and is reproducing itself 

 vigorously from selfsown seedlings. 



Tree-planting in Kona is of particular importance because of 

 the rapid deterioration of the native Hawaiian forest over large 

 stretches of the upper lands. Especially in the koa belt the change 

 from the former heavy forest to an open stand of rajiidly-dying 

 trees has been marked within the last few years. Tliis concHtion 

 is most noticeable on privately-owned lands in the center of the 

 district that are used for grazing, it is not too late to redeem 

 sections of this native forest if it were protected at once, but there 



