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

Commodities

• Fruits: avocados, bananas
• Additional Plants: native plants

Practices

• Crop Production: agroforestry, forest farming, forest/woodlot management, intercropping, multiple cropping
• 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 will demonstrate 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 will demonstrate how
farmers 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 planting and maintenance events,
   involving UHH students and members of the community.
3. Conduct on-site workshops 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.