Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 7.1
Hawaiian dry forest plants that were utilized in postfire revegetation prescribed
burn experiments in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, seasonal submontane woodland in
and shrubland fires
Plant
Hawaiian name
Family
Life form
Bidens hawaiiensis
Ko'oko'olau
Asteraceae
Shrub
Dodonaea viscosa
A'ali'i
Sapotaceae
Shrub
Myoporum sandwicensis
Naio
Myporaceae
Small tree
Osteomeles anthyllidifolia
U'lei
Rosaceae
Shrub
Santalum paniulatum
Iliahi
Santalaceae
Tree, hemiparasite
Scaevola Kilauea
Naupaka
Goodeniaceae
Shrub
Sophora chrysophylla
Mamane
Fabaceae
Small tree
Sida fallax
Ilima
Malvaceae
Sub shrub
experimental burns, an accidental fire within the zone dominated by
S. condensa-
tum
and
A. virginicus
occurred in 2000. Resources Management staff at Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park used the approach recommended by this experimental
burning program and actively seeded the burn with most of the suggested native
species and other available as yet untested species. They also transplanted seedlings
of species evaluated in the pilot burns (Loh et al. 2007). Approximately 900 acres
were seeded and replanted with a total of 30 native species. Many of these had been
studied in our experimental burns or in laboratory heating trials (Loh et al. 2007).
Over 2.7 million seeds and 18,000 individual plants were placed into the burn. By
2004 eleven native species had reached reproductive maturity. These are still
present as of October 2007.
7.2.5
Ongoing Challenges and Unanswered Questions
At least three of the native species tested showed a strong ability to establish after
fire, and seeds of these species have been collected and stockpiled for postfire seed-
ing when further wildfires occur. Several of the remaining species that responded
at least somewhat positively to fire are harder to collect native seed from.
Germination of three additional species tested only in heat trials in the lab was heat-
stimulated (Loh et al., unpublished), suggesting that they could be useful, but all
three are uncommon making it difficult to collect and store seed. Stockpiling of
seed for future postfire seeding has therefore been limited both in species composi-
tion and amount. While postfire rehabilitation via native seeding is used in other
portions of the western USA such as the Great Basin, the supply of native seed
tends to be limiting and rarely can more than a small percent of burned areas be
reseeded. Seeding rates are typically low and contribute to poor success. This is
likely to be an enduring challenge in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where seed
