Pono ACRES: Establishing a Functional Forest Demonstration Site Using the Hybrid Ecosystem Model

View the project final report

Commodities

• Fruits: avocados, bananas, coconut, ulu (breadfruit)
• Nuts: macadamia
• Vegetables: taro
• Additional Plants: native plants, hardwood trees: kamani, kukui, milo

Practices

• Crop Production: agroforestry, forest farming, forest/woodlot management, intercropping, multiple cropping
• Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, workshop
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, carbon sequestration, habitat enhancement
• Production Systems: permaculture

Research Question

This project addresses the question – Can the hybrid ecosystem model of forest restoration be adapted to create a functional forest that provides salable commodities while also providing a balanced ecosystem for protection and propagation of native species?

Problem

Historically, agricultural production and ecosystem restoration have had conflicting goals. In the State of Hawaii, agricultural practices degraded the ecosystems of rural areas, particularly in lower elevations. On Hawaii Island, the Hamakua coast was denuded of native forest by the sugar cane industry, which contaminated soil and waterways all along the coast. Much of this land is now privately owned, with over 1 million acres of fallow farmland in the State. Wildfires in Hawaii, such as the recent disaster on Maui, are greatly exacerbated by undeveloped acreage covered with dry, invasive shrubs and grasses. 

Solution

This project demonstrates a practical way to integrate agricultural production and ecosystem restoration where native plants are supported by non-native species that provide food, fiber and other useful products, including plants important to Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners.

The project is based on prior research, in which forest ecologists successfully created functional forests using a hybrid ecosystem approach. The Pono ACRES project shows farmers how they can adapt this research to establish productive forests that protect biodiversity, provide wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, create a buffer from wildfires, and simultaneously produce food, fiber, cultural plant products and nursery plants that provide farmers with diversified income sources.

Information about this system will be disseminated through on-site tours, workshops, and a website promoted through local farming organizations and farming related social media groups. A new Hawaii Island tax incentive significantly reduces property taxes for farmers dedicating land to a functional forest and this will serve as an additional incentive for farmers to adopt these practices. 

Research Objectives

1. Identify and measure the presence of specific invasive species on the project site and monitor their reduction over the course of the project.
2. Monitor functional forest functioning by measuring growth, health and propagation of key species, including natives and crop-producing trees and plants.

Educational Objectives

1. Document the process of establishing the system, using photography, video, and writing.
2. Conduct 4 participatory workshops, involving UHH students and members of the community.
3. Conduct 4 educational tours for farmers presenting information on how to establish a similar system.
4. Provide a website with resources for farmers and landowners and anyone else interested in creating functional forests on their own properties.
5. Promote the events and the website through social media groups specific to Hawaii, such as Homesteading Hawaii, Small Farm Hawaii and more.