Empowering a community, saving a forest.

History of deforestation in Hawaii.

The history of deforestation in Hawaii is a tragic tale of loss and destruction, a tale that rarely makes headlines and is a narrative of stark contrast from the Hotels, beaches, and tourist destinations that is marketed to the world. Haleakala, the “House of the Sun,” on the island of Maui, currently boasts only about 3% of its original forest cover on its southern slopes. This region is home to some of Hawaii’s last remaining mesic and dry land forests. When most people think of Hawaii, they envision white sand beaches, lush green landscapes, and a paradise-like setting. However, the reality of Hawaii sets it apart as one of the world’s most endangered species and extinction capitals. Over millions of years, Hawaii has evolved its own unique flora and fauna, which have developed in isolation and deep interconnectedness. These ecosystems are interdependent, relying on symbiotic relationships such as pollination, seed dispersal, and habitat and food provision.

Many Hawaiian bird species, which serve as key indicators of healthy forests, are in peril. These birds have evolved to rely on specific conditions and food sources and coexist within delicate natural systems that are in balance. However, when signs of healthy forest begin to decline, we witness the loss of habitat and the decline of ecosystem health. The introduction of avian malaria, cars, cats,rats, and mongoose has nearly wiped out 71 of 113 native Hawaiian bird species. This loss has disrupted the forest mechanisms that took millions of years of evolution to create and serves as a clear hoailona (omen) of the critical endangered status of Hawaiian watershed habitats.

Hawaii has endured relentless deforestation for the last 246 years, fueled by unsustainable land management practices, overharvesting, and the introduction of invasive flora and fauna. In the 1700s, Hawaii was unknown to most of the world. As global tall-ship traders explored the Pacific in search of new routes and goods to trade with the East—filling their hulls with exotic tea, spices, and silks—the “discovery” of the Hawaiian homelands by Eastern and Western powers brought devastating global attention to the islands. By fate, the most sought-after commodity by the Chinese was our massive forests of ʻiliahi (sandalwood). Hawaii became known throughout China as **Tahn Heung Sahn** (“The Sandalwood Mountains”), renowned for its captivating sandalwood fragrance that drifted offshore, greeting sailors long before they made landfall.

In 1790, American sea captain **John Kendrick** made history by initiating the first trade of native Hawaiian sandalwood, marking the beginning of a significant shift in Hawaii’s economy. This trade opened the floodgates for the export of native Hawaiian hardwoods into global markets, leading to profound alterations and diminution of our native watersheds. However, this boom in Hawaiian hardwood was short-lived; the exotic hardwood industry collapsed by 1845 due to the massive decline in available lumber.

In the aftermath, Hawaii witnessed a new wave of enterprise. Foreign entrepreneurs and investors took advantage of the newly cleared open spaces—land that had been deforested during the hardwood trade and had significantly reduced the extent of low-lying watersheds. In the 1850s, Hawaii embarked on a transformative journey with the advent of the sugar industry. This industry profoundly impacted traditional land management, shifting Hawaii from an agrarian subsistence lifestyle—dependent on generationally planted food systems—to commercial agriculture and the exchange of time for money.

The Hawaiian sugar industry became the next major industrial boom in the islands, fueled by the advent of steam power technology that replaced slower sail-powered vessels. This enhanced travel led to the conversion of 1 million acres of Hawaiian lands, formerly designated as watersheds and intentionally planted food systems, into mono-cropped sugar production, a transformation that resulted in the loss of much of the endemic biology within these spaces. The introduction of hoofed animals further exacerbated the degradation of land. Invasive flora and fauna, such as kikuyu, glycine, and albesia, were spread by rancher to increase cattle protein intake and provide shade for pastured livestock. Many of these introductions occurred without adequate consideration for native ecosystems. The spread of these invasive species aggressively overtook native grasses and plants, often covering and choking native trees. The combination of massive herds counts, alongside the introduction of deer and goat with no natural predators, has undoubtedly led to a decline in native forests and continues to stress an already imperiled ecosystem to this day.

The introduction of hoofed animals began in 1793 as a gift to King Kamehameha nui, and he put a Kapu on the animals for 10 years before anyone could harvest them, this compounded with the sandalwood trade, would further exacerbated the degradation of land and native forest.  by 1830’s large ranches started to get into full swing, and with it, Invasive flora and fauna, such as kikuyu, glycine, and albesia, were spread by rancher to increase cattle protein intake and provide shade for pastured livestock. Many of these introductions occurred without adequate consideration for native ecosystems. The spread of these invasive species aggressively overtook native grasses and plants, often covering and choking native trees. The combination of massive herds counts, alongside the introduction of deer and goat with no natural predators, has undoubtedly led to a decline in native forests and continues to stress an already imperiled ecosystem till this very day.

2016 would mark the end of 150 years of sugar production. These unattended lands, devoid of biodiversity, would become the canvas for invasive tree canopies,  and grasses, and eventually these aggressive pests would consume much of the native endemic ecology. The lands that once held generationally planted urban food systems, such as Ka Malu ulu o lele (the shade of the ulu grove), would vanish. Eventually, the place of lele would be renamed Lahaina (the merciless sun), a curse name given to the place of lele since it would lose any semblance of the shade of its once mighty urban food canopy. With great regret, the lands of lele remain today as a reminder of the loss of an abundant, intentionally planted native food system of West Maui. This system took hundreds of generations to plant, and spanned from the times of great high chiefs like Kaululaau, Wao, and Pill’lani, whose stories our mo’olelo (stories) speak of their great contributions to Hawaiian society. Through their vision and ingenuity, they geo-engineered Auwai systems that slowed water through the land, enabling them to cultivate the land that fed thousands of Kanaka maoli and empowered this early society to create massive food systems, roadways, waterways, and unmatched subsistence agricultural productivity that has not been witnessed since in Hawai’i. Their works will forever stand in stark contrast to the later American agribusiness and early stage capitalism that took charge and ravaged our papa hanau (place of birth) of Kanaka Maoli.

 2026, we as a collective are now seeing that it is only in contrast that we learn. And it is a very stark contrast today for Hawaiian people. We are in a precarious position, and our trajectory is not as positive or hopeful as we need it to be. We now have history available at our fingertips. We can observe the past and look at our homelands to see the deviation from stewardship to extraction—and where it has led us. We have lived and witnessed what disregard, dehumanization, and objectification of people and land have created in Hawaiʻi. We can now see with clarity the systemic problems that have been built over the last 246 years throughout all of Hawaiʻi.