State seeks comment on Puaʻahala forest management plan
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State officials are seeking public comment on a draft management plan for the Puaʻahala section of the Molokai State Forest Reserve, where eight endangered plant species have been documented and one endangered wildlife species could be present.
The plan from the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife covers 732 acres in the Puaʻahala section of the Molokai State Forest Reserve.
The 10-year plan focuses on protecting the watershed, native ecosystems, threatened and endangered species and cultural resources, while managing public access, the department said.
Purchased from the Seattle-based K&H Horizons Hawaii in 2020, the state land goes from sea level to an elevation of 4,200 feet and is covered with habitat ranging from dry to mesic and wet ecosystems.
The draft says the bottom two-thirds of Puaʻahala is dominated by dry non-native grass and shrublands, and the upper third is covered by diverse, native mesic and wet shrubland and forest. The land is next to privately owned land to the east and west.
The plan says the area includes eight endangered plant species, including the santalum haleakalae var. lanaiense, a long-lived perennial tree in the sandalwood family that grows from 3 to 43 feet tall. It was listed as endangered in 1986. In 2023, there were an estimated 125 to 150 left on Lanai, Molokai and Maui.
The Lanai sandalwood is among eight endangered plants listed in a draft management plan for the Puaʻahala section of the Molokai State Forest Reserve. Photo courtesy Department of Land and Natural Resources
The plan says only one endangered wildlife species protected by state and federal regulations is likely to occur in Puaʻahala -- the Hawaiian hoary bat.
One major access route to the forest is an unimproved road off of Kamehemeha V Highway that leads to a parking area near the bottom of the reserve.
The state plans to install a gate at the entrance to limit access to permit users. While there is no designated trail, hiking is allowed on the road.
Saying much of the vegetation has been "severely altered" by axis deer, as well as goats and invasive plant species, the plan also calls for a mauka-to-makai fence line along the western boundary to help control the deer.
Game mammals found in Puaʻahala include feral pigs, goats and axis deer. The division said it has no plan to designate Puaʻahala as a public hunting area at this time because of safety issues and its proximity to privately owned parcels.
However, the division does plan for public hunting to take place eventually under wildlife control permits establishing safety zones at the bottom of the reserve. The hunters would be members of an insured hunting organization, and game bird hunting, including chukar partridge, black francolin, gray francolin, and the common ring-necked pheasant, would not be allowed.
The state land at Puaʻahala also includes the Paialoa fishpond -- one of only a few areas on Molokai that support freshwater ponds.
The 356-page draft management plan is available at tinyurl.com/msasdw8y. The public can also participate in an online survey at tinyurl.com/42eksrdp.
The division said there were three open house scoping meetings with landowners and community members of East Molokai before developing the draft management plan.
Written comments on the plan can be submitted online at tinyurl.com/3waycu28, via email to forestry@hawaii.gov or by mail to Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, 1151 Punchbowl St., Room 325, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.
The deadline to submit comments is Oct. 16.