Silviculture
From initial site mapping and preparation, through seedling establishment and subsequent tending, we have developed methods that are worldly in standards and local in application. Site preparation Working on lands formerly dedicated to sugar cane production, we have utilized a variety of tools, alone or in combination, to achieve effective and efficient site preparation. Conditions were highly variable, from grassy pastures to casuarina-infested brush, requiring removal of heavy grass cover and breaking of compacted subsoil layers. Establishment We match high-quality seed to the particular conditions of the land. Forest Solutions purchases all seed from genetically improved sources around the world. These are grown in our 2 million seedlings per year nursery in Kona,using automatic sowing machines and efficient growing processes to produce high quality containerized seedlings. Control over the seedlings allows Forest Solutions to reduce initial establishment density by 10%.
Tending is vital to protect our clients’ forest plantation assets. We maintain a constant presence in the forest, maintaining infrastructure and ensuring early detection of threats such as disease, vandalism and neighbor encroachment. For select stands we also recommend fertilizer applications throughout the rotation to improve fiber yields. Inventory and monitoring Forest inventory is the informative engine by which we gauge our progress and determine future management needs. Both an early “post establishment” cruise and a later “timber inventory” assessment are necessary to record performance, prescribe intervention, project growth and develop yield expectations. Such yield expectations ensure that we are maintaining the forest in perpetuity, with any removed wood being quickly replaced. Research Forest Solutions’ in-house research capabilities improve stand management. Research improves fertility assessments, local stem volume equations, seed purchases and seed-site matching. In addition, research provides baseline information, such as fiber yields, to determine a sustainable harvest level. |
Forest Solutions is recognized as an innovator in plantation management in Hawaii. Our foresters have worked tirelessly to adapt techniques and methods from around the world to the Hawaiian reality. Our efforts have paid off: we have the most impressive plantations in the state and our efficiency rivals that of established tropical plantations in Brazil, South Africa, and Southeast Asia. 
Tending
