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DLNR staff and partners outline costs, methods and priorities for watershed protection; Maui projects highlighted
Summary
Division of Forestry and Wildlife staff and partners briefed the commission on the role forest protection plays in freshwater supply, the 30x30 priority‑watershed goal, tools (fencing, feral ungulate control, wetland restoration), and Maui‑based summit‑to‑sea projects and acquisitions.
Commission staff and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFA) briefed the Commission on Water Resource Management on Feb. 18 about watershed management, why native forest protection matters for recharge, and ongoing projects on Maui.
Katie Roth, planning program manager for the commission, summarized the science linking native forest to groundwater recharge and streamflow: native canopy structure, epiphytes and deep rooting systems increase infiltration and sustain baseflow over long time scales. She reviewed the state’s 30x30 watershed initiative, which aims to protect 30% of priority watershed forested areas by 2030; DOFA and partners currently protect roughly 21% statewide and have protected about 50% of priority areas in Maui Nui, the briefing said.
DOF…
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