158 
After careful consideration of the numerous factors involved, the 
following is the order in which the twelve best species recommend them- 
selves for future plantings, based upon their behavior in the present 
experiment: 
1. Pinus strobus 
2. Pinus coulteri (as nurse tree, to establish good forest con- 
ditions) 
3. Libocedrus decurrens 
4. Picea excelsa 
5. Pinus jeffreyi 
6. Pinus contorta 
7. Pinus canadensis 
8. Pinus sylvestris 
9. Pinus ponderosa 
10. Juniperus virginiana 
11. Pseudotsuga taxifolia 
12. Cedrus deodara 
With regard to the method to be pursued in establishing future plant- 
ings it is felt that the local nursery idea is the best. The comparative 
failure of this method in the present experiment was not the result of 
the method but of extraneous circumstances which upset the proper 
procedure. It is, of course, difficult to maintain a nursery at high alti- 
tudes, but the chief difficulty seems to be one of personnel rather than 
site. It is hard to get a reliable nurseryman to live in the remote upper 
slopes. If the work w^ere to be undertaken on a large scale it would 
be the best economy to make the inducements sufficiently attractive to 
keep a good man continuous!}'' at the nursery. Seeds could be collected 
from desirable localities on the mainland, probably by the Federal 
Forest Service, and propagated in such a nursery at a reasonable dis- 
tance from the planting site. Topographically the situation on Hale- 
akala and Mauna Kea is better than in many commercial reforestation 
projects on the mainland. 
The degree of success attained in the present experiment, in spite of 
vicissitudes and m,any adverse circumstances, demonstrates clearly that 
the afforestation of the intermediate slopes of Hawaii's mountains is 
entirely feasible. Moreover, the rate of growth of several of the species 
tested, and their vigorous appearance in their unhospitable, windswept 
sites, compares favorably with the growth of similar species in their 
native habitat on the mainland. The fact that the peerless White Pine 
(Pimis strohus) and Incense Cedar (Lihocedrus decuy-rens) stand among 
the most successful of all the trees experimented with may well be 
taken as the final convincing testimony in favor of extensive timber- 
forest planting in Hawaii. 
