Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Sunday, September 26, 2021
Easy Eco Promises: DLNR Pledges 100M Trees by 2030
By News Release @ 12:58 AM :: 1760 Views :: Environment

STATE PLEDGES ONE HUNDRED MILLION TREES TO BE CONSERVED, RESTORED, OR GROWN BY 2030 

News Release from DLNR, Sept 25, 2021

(HONOLULU) – 100,000,000 is a hard number to wrap your head around. One trillion is even tougher and that’s the number of trees a new challenge hopes to plant, conserve, or restore this decade worldwide. https://www.1t.org/

(DO THE MATH: 100M trees / 7M acres in Hawaii = 14 trees per acre avg.)

1t.org is part of the World Economic Forum’s efforts to accelerate nature-based solutions and was set up to support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. 

(Does this mean Hu Honua is dead?)

The role of Hawai‘i was revealed today in a videotaped message from Governor David Ige during virtual or live Global Citizen Events in New York City and Los Angeles. The One Trillion Trees Pledge is a direct approach to achieving net-negative carbon goals, a primary way of combating global warming. The events were expected to have an audience of 100 million people. 

(Did you oversleep?)

The Hawai‘i pledge is supported by the directors of the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Dept. of Transportation (DOT), and the Dept. of Defense (DOD. The pledge entails planting, conserving, or restoring ten million trees each year of this decade. 

(CLUE: It's a lot easier when you take credit for trees that already exist.)

DLNR is leading the pledge. Chair Suzanne Case commented, “Forest carbon projects withdraw carbon dioxide (CO2), the greenhouse gas largely responsible for global climate change, and stores it in trees or other biomass. The actions planned until the end of this decade will contribute to our net-negative carbon goal. Already we’ve seen progress. In 2017 Hawai‘i forests sequestered 2.69 metric tons of CO2 and our continuing challenge and pledge is to increase this by 2030.” 

Hawai‘i already has a legacy of protecting forests and trees. Examples include: 

DLNR’s goals will be guided by seven action areas: 

  • Protect existing forests  
  • Conserve private land through legal protections  
  • Plant trees to restore existing forest lands 
  • Plant trees to reclaim unused rural lands where forests used to exist 
  • Plant trees to advance agroforestry 
  • Plant trees in urban areas 
  • Facilitate natural regeneration 

“We will permanently conserve 43,000 acres of forest and we will build conservation fences to protect an additional 106,816 acres from feral ungulates in our watersheds to ensure this number grows,” Case added. 

Two fences, one predator proof and the other ungulate proof, are currently under construction in the Nā Pali-Kona Forest Reserve and adjacent Kōke’e State Park. Much of the funding for the project is coming from the U.S. Department of Defense and is the first in Hawai‘i that has a predator proof fence inside of an ungulate proof fence.

Walking some of the completed 4 ½ foot-high ungulate fencing on Kalepa Ridge, DOFAW botanist Adam Williams explains that on nearby Honopu Ridge an additional four-feet of mesh will be added to keep deer out. Ungulate fencing is meant to keep deer, pigs, and goats out. “The eight-foot-high fencing will keep deer out of the entire upper watershed,” Williams said.  

Three acres of the 240 acres is also getting predator-proof fencing of a totally different design. It has very small mesh, with a shiny hood to keep cats, rats and mice away from seabirds. 

The Hawai‘i Department of Defense has also pledged to plant more trees on properties under its jurisdiction. Gen. Kenneth S. Hara, Hawai‘i Adjutant General, said, “DOD is pledging to plant 1,200 trees annually and is proud to be a part of this global initiative.” 

Key to reaching the one hundred million goal is the involvement of private partners through watershed partnerships and the DLNR forest stewardship program. Ensuring privately held forest lands are protected can be accomplished by best practices, such as natural resource management, conservation easements, or acquisition by the state. DLNR also plans to continue work with federal partners to raise funds for the purchase of priority forests to bring them into permanent conservation under state protection. 

# # # 

RELATED: Confronting Inconsistencies in Hawai`i Agriculture, Climate and Renewable Energy Goals

(RESOURCES) 

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR) 

HD video – Nakula Natural Area Reserve, Maui (aerials, fencing, planting): 

https://vimeo.com/614121129

HD video - Nā Pali-Kona Forest Reserve & Kōke’e State Park, Kaua‘i (fencing, SOT): 

https://vimeo.com/614588462

(shot sheet attached) 

Photographs – Nakula Natural Area Reserve, Maui (aerials, fencing, planting):  

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qliigdzuu6b71zq/AACEY1bJhCXAmLUNJopGX7zIa?dl=0

Photographs - Nā Pali-Kona Forest Reserve & Kōke’e State Park, Kaua‘i (fencing): 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0g939eggocvsuow/AAC_ILVdLtidEOF3z0dmpGkza?dl=0

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT