RESEARCH PROJECT

This project aims to demonstrate afforestation approaches in dry, grass-dominated landscapes that minimize necessary maintenance and improve outcomes. Specifically, we seek to shift the grasslands to a forested landscape rapidly, using dense plantings of keystone species and intensive application of mulch. In partnership with two Native Hawaiian organizations, applied plots will be implemented on-site to monitor and demonstrate the efficacy of the methods.

Current efforts at afforestation often get locked into cycles of maintenance, as invasive grasses can continue to invade plantings due to the concept of “ecological stable states,” which suggests ecosystems are self-reinforcing (e.g., a grassland wants to keep being a grassland, and a forest wants to keep being a forest). Therefore, there is a big difference between planting trees in a grassland and strategically shifting a grassland to a forest. The methods that are field trialed in this project aim to systematically and rapidly shift from grasslands to forests, after which additional restoration work can be done. This work is critical and timely, as demonstrated in the recent Lahaina wildfires, since afforestation of grasslands is seen as a core strategy in mitigating risk associated with wildfires, which are anticipated to increase substantially with changing weather patterns associated with climate change.

This project seeks to improve efficient afforestation methods that can support the restoration of biocultural landscapes for improved disaster mitigation, adaptation, and preparedness. We will partner with organizations actively seeking to scale traditional land-management strategies such as agroforestry in areas that are known to have been in agroforestry systems prior to their decline over the past two centuries. Landscapes in forests and agroforests with appropriate species have been shown to improve ecosystem services, support cultural practices, and have outcomes for human health and wellbeing. Products of this work will include a best-practices manual of afforestation of grass-dominated dry habitats, a workshop, a symposium, a scientific publication, a website summarizing the projects approach, and a StoryMap.