Battling direct threats to fragile native ecosystems while simultaneously working with partners on ambitious replanting projects are just two of the programmatic successes of the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard and its Natural Resources Conservation team.
The HI ARNG NRC team was awarded the Secretary of the Army Environmental Awards Program Natural Resources Conservation, small installation category for this work and for exemplary conservation efforts.
Craig Blaisdell, HI ARNG natural resources supervisor who oversees the NRC program, said that in all, the HI ARNG has more than 1,300 acres of tropical environment training areas and facilities, and that this acreage has improved ecosystem vitality, but also added land available for training purposes. Blaisdell said while the training areas include many diverse ecosystems, the main challenge in each has a common thread.
“Throughout all the training sites the most consistent challenge has been eradicating invasive and non-native species that continually threaten precarious ecosystems and impede training access, while simultaneously reestablishing thriving forest systems,” Blaisdell said. “To that end, our NRC program has implemented a multi-faceted approach that has focused on hybrid habitat creation over the past two years. As a result, among training lands where every acre is precious, the HIARNG is achieving holistic benefits at the ecosystem level that enhance training capabilities.”
“I am very proud of the work and accomplishments of our Hawaiʻi Army National Guard’s NRC team,” said Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan, HI ARNG commander. “By eradicating invasive plants and establishing resilient hybrid forests, we’re protecting the native ecosystem and preserving our training area. It’s a true win-win that adds value to our overall readiness.”
Blaisdell said that using multi-faceted approaches is necessary in the complex tropical environment, and the team has embraced the approach. The hybrid planting focuses on establishing resilient hybrid forests on the islands, with a blend of native endemic, indigenous, and Polynesian introduced species that will achieve carbon sequestration goals. Scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry USDA Forest Service, and Stanford University were instrumental in developing the hybrid approach, which HI ARNG began implementing two years ago.
This replanting program is part of HI ARNG’s cooperation with the One Trillion Trees project, an international effort designed to help battle climate change. In addition, the NRC is using these hybrid planting strategies to deal with the extensive loss of the native ‘ōhi‘a trees to disease -- replacing the threatened native species with a more sustainable ecosystem of plants.
Blaisdell said the NRC team joined several partners in the Liko Nā Pilina project (which translates to budding of new relationships) to help track and battle the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) fungal disease, a threat to native ‘ōhi‘a trees and the tropical canopy they help to create. The team, working with the university and Liko Nā Pilina partners, created a propagation program growing trees for out planting at the installation and achieved 90% survival rates one year after planting and increased seedling recruitment by the native species.
“University of Hawaiʻi researchers and students assist with the propagation and planting of seedlings for the installation and maintenance of restored forest stands. The U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey have assisted in monitoring for the ‘ōhi‘a disease and in addressing the invasive species impacts that occur,” Blaisdell said. “These close working relationships help maintain the HI ARNG’s regulatory compliance as well.”
Another group of invasive species that pose a threat at the installation are plants like the longthorn kiawe, albizia and miconia, which can cause habitat degradation for the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat and native bird species. The invasive plant species crowd out the natural habitat and vegetation that these native species rely on.
“The Big Island Invasive Species Committee and the Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee have been critical partners in targeting these invasive species and preserving habitat,” said Blaisdell, adding that these partnerships and others will be reflected in a five-year update of the installation’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan that will begin next year to build on the success of past efforts.
“The invasive species and ‘ōhi‘a preservation proactive programs have allowed us to monitor the ecosystem and after many years of concerted effort, we have been able to wind down the intensity of invasive plant eradication,” Blaisdell said, "including a major reduction in the use of pesticides needed to control the invasive species.”
“Hawaiʻi Army National Guard has a beautiful tropical setting, and our Natural Resources Conservation team has built both the plans and the relationship to protect and preserve the ecosystem, which in turn has created more land availability for military training opportunities,” Blaisdell said.
Social Sharing