Pa'auilo Final Enviromental Assessment

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PA`AUILO LANDS FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Class VII soils have very severe limitations that make them generally unsuited to cultivation and restrict their use largely to pasture or range, woodland, or wildlife. 3.4.2 Land Study Bureau Soil Rating The Detailed Land Classification, Island of Hawai`i (Baker et al. 1965) classifies non-urban areas based on a five-class rating system for agricultural productivity using the letters A,B, C,D, and E. Under this system, A represents the highest class of productivity and E the lowest. The Pa`auilo Lands comprise lands rated B, C,D and E(Figure 10). The Pa`auilo Lands contain approximately 205 acres (28%) classified as B (Good for agriculture); 0.75 acres (0.1%) classified C (Fair); 466.2 acres (63%) classified D (Poor); and 66.7 acres (9%) classified E(very poor). 3.4.3 Agricultural Lands of Importance The ALTSH system classifies four types of land: Prime Lands, Unique Lands, Unclassified, and Other Lands (State of Hawaii 1977). The Pa`auilo Lands comprise approximately 740 acres. Of these, approximately 407 acres (55%) are classified as Prime Agricultural Lands; 0.207 acres (less than 1%) are classified as Other Lands; and the remaining lands are unclassified (Figure 11). Prime Agricultural Land is land best suited for the production of food, feed, forage, and fiber crops. When treated and managed, including water management, and according to modern farming methods, the land has the soil quality, growing season, and moisture supply needed to economically produce sustained high yields of crops (State of Hawaii 1977). Other Agriculture Land is land other than Prime or Unique Agricultural Land that is also of statewide or local importance for the production of food, feed, fiber, and forage crops. The lands in this classification are important to agriculture in Hawaii yet exhibit properties, such as seasonal wetness, erosion, limited rooting zone, slope, flooding, or drought, which exclude the lands from the Prime or Unique Agricultural Land classifications. By applying greater inputs of fertilizer and other soil amendments, providing drainage improvements, implementing erosion control practices, and providing flood protection, these lands can be farmed satisfactorily and produce fair to good crop yields (State of Hawaii 1977). Potential Impacts and Mitigation Measures The proposed sale of the Pa`auilo Lands is not expected to significantly affect soils or erosion characteristics in the vicinity. Potential purchasers will be subject to the existing grubbing and grading ordinances through which the impacts of their specific uses will have to be addressed and mitigated. 20