HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0988.039 2018-2020 n r
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Council of the County of Hawaii y . 3
25 Aupuni Street, Room 1401
Hilo, HI 96720
August 5, 9 am
Re: Bill 178
Dear Hawaii County Council members,
I strongly support Bill 178, whose intent is to amend and improve the county code for native
forest dedications. I was heartened by the discussions of the Finance Committee on July 7, 2020
and that it was voted on unanimously as well at the July 22 County Council meeting. The County
Council clearly recognizes the importance of taking care of our forests because is it the just thing
to do. I applaud all of you and I wanted to let you know that I felt very proud of our island as I
listened in on your discussions.
In personal terms, as a forest ecologist for over 25 years, I am motivated by improving the health
of our `dina. Over the last few days, I've been in discussions with my colleagues about this bill,
and it has brought up new thoughts that I would like to share.
1. What Bill 178 does is set a new tone for our county and the nation. It provides
landowners incentives for doing native forest dedications to make the tax assessment rate
cheaper than pasture. And the tax incentive kicks in immediately at the beginning of a
restoration project and not at the endpoint where a native forest is generated(which takes
many years and depends on climate and soil conditions). For both of these reasons,
restoration as a potential land use becomes a feasible option for private landowners. In
setting this tone, Hawaii County is at the forefront of forest restoration policy. Forests
provide ecosystem services such as enhancing habitat for wildlife, providing clean water,
sequestering of carbon out of the atmosphere,providing pest control for agriculture,
gathering of plants for hula, and securing recreation and aesthetic beauty for people. The
more that we can prioritize forests over other land uses, the better the health of our island.
2. While some may not prefer the use of non-native non-invasive species that can be part of
the functional forest dedication, research that I have personally been involved with has
shown this can be an acceptable option in some cases. The hope is that this functional
forest can be a stepping stone towards building a more native-dominated forest, by
creating the right light environment to keep out highly invasive species.
3. An important feature of this bill is that it contains safeguards and I am personally
committed to make sure that these safeguards work and provide land use improvements
and guide us towards more functional landscapes that provide higher levels of ecosystem
services. Every landowner must submit a forest management plan. In order to build
expertise within the Real Property Tax (RPT) office, RPT is hosting a UH Hilo Master's
student from the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science program,
and I am serving as an advisor for him. His responsibilities are 1) developing plant
species lists; 2) developing guidelines for the content of the forest management plan; and
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3) providing training of RPT staff. His professional internship is being guided by
collaborations and discussions with RPT, UH Hilo, USDA Forest Service, Hawaii Weed
Risk Assessment, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, and Hawaii Invasive
Species Council. This process will ensure that plants used for functional forest restoration
are appropriate and science-based.
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Bill 178 is a progressive policy that acknowledges the value of Hawaiian forests and rewards
Landowners for their protection, restoration, and expansion. I urge the County Council to take
this bold action to establish Hawaii County as a pioneer in forest restoration policy. In this time
of global uncertainty, Bill 178 provides an economical and just solution for our local
environment.
Sincerely,
t/
Rebecca Ostertag, Ph.D.