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THE CLOSER UTILIZATION OE OHIA LUMBER. 
By Louis Margolin. 
Forest Examiner, S. Forest Service. 
Although a dozen or more different species of trees are used 
more or less locally for various purposes on the Hawaiian Islands 
yet the ohia lehua and the koa are the only two lumber trees in 
this Territory which, because of their size and abundance, have 
any commercial importance. Of these two species koa is prima- 
rily a cabinet wood leaving ohia lehua as the only all around 
lumber tree of any importance. 
Ohia lehua occurs in one form or another on all the islands of 
the group, between elevations of 1,500 and 6,000 feet. It reaches 
its principal development in the Puna, Hilo and Kona districts 
on the Island of Hawaii, where it occasionally attains to a height 
of 100 feet and a breast-high diameter of 40-50 inches. In the 
districts named it forms extensive, practically pure, forests. 
The ohia wood is strong, heavy, tough, hard, and close- 
grained, of a dark reddish or brown color, and takes an excellent 
polish. Unless carefully seasoned it is liable to check, twist and 
warp to an extent which renders it useless for lumber. The 
thoroughly dry wood has a specific gravity of .64, weighing 40 
lbs. to the cubic foot. It is thus slightly lighter in weight than 
shagbark hickory of the Middle States, which weighs 40^ lbs. 
per cubic foot, and is somewhat heavier than red or white oak 
which weighs 38 lbs. per cubic foot. Green ohia wood, however, 
is very heavy, weighing 70 lbs. or more to the cubic foot. 
Ohia is only about one-half as tough as good hickory, but in 
strength it may be classed with the best oak wood. Thoroughly 
dried heartwood will last for a long time in contact with the soil, 
ties 15 or 16 years old showing hardly any sign of decay. The 
green wood, however, is not very durable. The wood has ex- 
cellent spike-holding qualities which render it of great value as a 
tie timber. 
In the past the wood was used for idols, the construction of log 
houses, and for fuel, but for few other purposes. In recent 
years its use as a valuable tie timber has been recognized, and 
two logging operations in the Puna district cut practically all 
their timber into ties, most of which are shipped to the coast. 
In spite of the low stumpage price paid for the standing trees 
and the liberal price received for ohia ties on the coast, the cost 
of manufacture leaves little or no profit. This is due to various 
causes, but mainly to the per cent, of cull timber, the difficulties 
in logging, and the high cost of transporting the heavy logs and 
ties. An operation to prove a financial success, must, therefore, 
depend almost entirely on the utilization of the by-products for 
