Cloud forests, like the Kona Cloud Forest on the west side of Hawaii Island, are in jeopardy. Global warming is one culprit, and another is land clearing for development by landowners unaware of the impact forest destruction has on the eco-system and water-supplying aquifers. Trees produce oxygen, they supply shade, and sequester carbon that would contribute to global warming.
Many of Hawaii’s forests and watersheds are threatened, even with all the rhetoric about saving forests. In East Hawaii, many forest areas are subdivided into small lots of one to three acres. Unless the owners of the land commit to protecting the forested lots, they are often bulldozed and flattened.
In West Hawaii, the same situation is occurring with private lands being subdivided and cleared. One example in West Hawaii is the Kaloko Mauka subdivision that sits within the Kona Cloud Forest, where we are witnessing lots being subdivided and inadvertently