In ancient times, dryland forests blanketed the leeward sides of all the Hawaiian Islands, from mountain slopes to the coasts. The forests were home to hundreds of species of native birds, insects, trees, shrubs, ferns and herbaceous plants — many of which couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Over the years, fire, urban development and invasive plants and animals destroyed those precious ecosystems. Only remnants of once abundant dryland forests remain; as their habitats disappeared, so did many species of native wildlife.

It is sobering, realizing all that has been lost and what can still be lost. Dryland forests are valuable resources that promote biological diversity, prevent extinction of species and protect wild populations of native plants and animals. They preserve history and culture.

This is where the story of the Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative (WDFI, see sidebar) begins. In 2003, Beverley Brand and other members of the Waikoloa Village Outdoor Circle heard that several centuries-old wiliwili trees had been relocated from a dryland forest bordering Waikoloa Village to a North Kona resort.

The Waikoloa Village Association, which represents the community’s property owners, owns the forest and had given permission for the removal and sale of the trees. The conservationists, however, deemed that decision irresponsible and began efforts to save the forest from further intrusion.

Under the auspices of the Waikoloa Village Outdoor Circle, Brand spearheaded the work to obtain a lease and funding for the preservation project. A management plan was completed in 2006, and a 10-year lease for 275 acres of the forest to be set aside as a preserve was negotiated the following year.

WDFI was founded in June 2011 to assume responsibility for the preserve, which now harbors about 40 species of trees and plants, 14 of them endangered. A new lease was approved last year, enabling WDFI to continue its work for 75 more years.

Jen Lawson, who holds a degree in botany, is WDFI’s executive director and project manager. "I started working with WDFI as a volunteer," she said. "The first time I saw the preserve, I was surprised that the beautiful wiliwili trees, most of them no doubt centuries old, could survive in such a desolate environment. I was impressed and inspired by the work that had been done and knew that even though it would take a lot of time and attention to bring the forest back, it would be worth it."

According to Lawson, only 5 percent of Hawaii’s dryland forests remain. More than 30 percent of America’s endangered species are in Hawaii, and about half of those can be found in its dryland regions. That’s why protecting and restoring the remaining dryland ecosystems is so crucial.

Among the native species in WDFI’s preserve is the critically endangered uhiuhi, whose hard, heavy wood was used to construct sleds, spears, digging sticks and house posts. The wood is so dense it sinks in water.

In contrast, the wiliwili tree has light wood, which the Hawaiians used to make surfboards, fishnet floats and canoe outriggers.

"Wiliwili populations have dropped dramatically in recent years, due in part to an infestation of gall wasps that began in 2005," Lawson said. "Fortunately, the introduction of another insect to control the spread of the gall wasp has reduced the threat, and the wiliwili and its gorgeous flowers remain defining features of Waikoloa."

The Waikoloa Village Outdoor Circle launched the Wiliwili Festival in 2010 to raise awareness about Hawaii’s dryland forests, the species that live there, important conservation issues and the principles of good stewardship. After a break in 2012, the festival is returning this year with WDFI as the host and organizer.

"We’ll be giving tours of the preserve during the festival for the first time, so visitors will be able to see the trees and plants up close," Lawson said. "The wiliwili will hopefully be in bloom, which is awesome, and there will be plenty of opportunities for photos. At the nursery, we’ll show 35 species of native plants that we’re growing for the restoration project. We are reintroducing about 2,000 native plants within the preserve each year with the help of our dedicated volunteers."

The festival will also feature workshops on traditional uses of wiliwili; plant propagation and growing techniques; and edible landscaping and permaculture, an agricultural system that promotes the use of renewable natural resources to create self-sustaining ecosystems.

Twenty-five educational, environmental and cultural organizations will be dispensing information and offering interactive activities such as origami, kite-making, lau hala and coconut-frond weaving and planting wiliwili seeds in little pots that participants can take home. There will also be food, live music, prize giveaways, a silent auction and a sale of native plants.

"The Wiliwili Festival reveals a side of Hawaii that many people, both kamaaina and visitors, haven’t seen before," Lawson said. "We hope they will one day be as familiar with native dryland forest trees and flowers as they are with plumeria, vanda orchids and other non-native species. The festival is going to be interesting, enlightening and wiliwili fun!"

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.

‘WDFI pursues education, restoration

The mission of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative is to remove invasive plants, protect and restore native species through natural regeneration and seed propagation and planting, and provide education and hands-on experiences through outreach programs and special events.

Call 895-4679, email wdfi@waikoloadryforest.org or visit waikoloadryforest.org to learn more about WDFI’s volunteer, adopt-a-tree and Waikoloa Future Foresters programs. Geared to children ages 9 through 15, Future Foresters offers free twice-monthly outdoor learning opportunities that revolve around science, culture, conservation, stewardship and traditional Hawaiian arts and crafts.

WDFI welcomes tax-deductible donations. Mail contributions c/o 68-3720 Lua Hoana Place, Waikoloa, HI 96738.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi