Kaiāulu Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a
Community-Based Subsistence Forest Area

Mālama ‘Āina‍

• Kaiāulu Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Stewardship Plan in development, facilitated by Ulu Ching, Conservation International
• Hawai‘i Game Management completed fencing of the 84-acre project area on June 13, 2020 and installed four gates to ensure ease of access for the community and repaired a few already fenced areas that had been damaged by cattle.
• Full-time Community Forest Restoration Coordinator, Ashley-Ann Kaleionehu Shaw, hired in January 2021
• Full-time Community Forest Restoration Technician, Ku‘unahenani Keakealani, hired in August 2022
• Ongoing seed collections and plant care to support our reforestation effort
• Our reforestation team has continued to implement Hawaiian cultural practices into our restoration and management effort. To date, our approach has been completely organic. Ongoing maintenance of our project area includes invasive species removal, ungulate control, regular fence inspections and maintenance, watering, and care for seedlings (both in the nursery and outplanted).  
• With the help of P-CBSFA staff, partners, and volunteers, our reforestation team has, to date, planted 685 native and Polynesian-introduced canoe plants, including A‘ali‘i, Koa, Kukui, Iliahi, Mānele, Māmaki, Māmane, ‘Ōhia, and Wiliwili, with 395 of those planted in 2023. We received 931 new plants from the Waimea State Tree Nursery in June 2023 and continue to care for them in our field nurseries at Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a. These will be planted over the next few months when the weather conditions are ideal (rainy).

Pilina: Community & Resources

• Quarterly presentation of P-CBSFA work to Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Advisory Council
• Annual quarterly meetings in 2018-2023, including two community meetings
• Interviews with lineal descendants of Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a and Pu‘uanahulu about local plant and fire knowledge, which has informed species selection and reforestation methods
• Kaiāulu Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a contracted Geometrician Associates to create a resource report designed to collate reference material for use by the P-CBSFA and for reference by the public. The report discusses the geology, biology and botany, historical information, cultural history and archaeological surveys, jurisdictions and boundaries, incorporating rainfall, grazing paddocks, exclosure locations, soils, and maps of roads and trails, and was finalized in spring of 2020. While the original intention of this report was to have a written resource created, we expanded this vision together with Geometrician Associates, who developed a web application which features a searchable interactive map that details resources and history of the Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a Cinder Cone in the North Kona District of Hawai‘i. This expanded scope increased the utility and accessibility of this resource.
• Presentations at the 2020 and 2021 Hawai‘i Conservation Conferences

Education and Outreach: 

• In 2023, we hosted a total of 178 volunteers and visitors, engaging in education, land restoration, stewardship, invasive species removal, and native plant outplanting. This included school groups, volunteer groups, and Kaiāulu Hana days. 
• We collaborated with and hosted the following Pilina ‘Āina groups: 33 students and teachers from Alo Kehau o ka Aina Mauna and Ke Kula O Ehunuikaimalino; 18 students and teachers from Waianae Middle School;  and 16 students and 1 teacher from Waimea Middle School. We also supported the Annual Biocultural Blitz at Pu‘uwa‘awa‘a, through the ‘Ōhi‘a Trail Challenge, which reached an additional 450 students.
• In 2023 we also worked with 29 volunteers with a Crossfit group; 38 students and program coordinators from the UH Hilo PIPES program, and; 36 volunteers with the Indigenous Agroforestry Network, Mahi‘ai Limalau Aloha (MĀLA ‘Ōiwi), engaging in knowledge exchange about reforestation methods.
• Our team created plant information cards for native and culturally important plants that have been given to families to grow at home.
• We distributed 86 seedlings to community members in 2023.
• We are looking forward to building our volunteer program in 2024. Please sign up here to become part of our volunteer hui.

Kilo: Monitoring

• In 2022 we finalized a monitoring plan for tracking survivorship of planted species, and have begun utilizing this plan. Our monitoring plan draws on the traditional Hawaiian practice of kilo (to observe) and conventional vegetation survey methods.  This approach aligns with our cultural values and provides valuable insights into the health and development of the forest ecosystem. Our monitoring plan includes culturally important indicators such as the moon phase when outplanted, kilo observations during plantings and monitoring days, and olelo no‘eau.We created a database in Airtable to update and maintain these records.  In our first annual monitoring assessment we found a 97% survival rate.
• In 2023, with the support of the University of Hawaiʻi Mesonet, we have installed a Mesonet tower to monitor weather and climate. The tower is situated at the highest point of the puʻu (Latitude 19.772220°, Longitude -155.830720°). This station will provide up-to-the-minute data on rainfall rates; soil moisture, temperature, and heat conduction; solar radiation; net radiation; air temperature; humidity; air pressure; wind speed and direction; other variables that are needed to estimate the rate of evapotranspiration; the amount of water going from the soil and vegetation into the air.

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