Happenings

Upcoming events

Past Events

Life from the Field event with SSU Center for Environmental Inquiry

April 23, 2025: Liko Nā Pilina project leaders joined other forest restoration specialists from around the world for a virtual Life from the Field event hosted by the Sonoma State University Center for Environmental Inquiry. After presenting 8-minute videos demonstrating the work done at each restoration site, students asked questions to be answered by a panel of researchers, including two alakaʻi from Liko Nā Pilina. The aim of this event is to give students virtual field experiences in ecosystems all over the world and allow them to speak with researchers and develop a personal interest in doing research. You can watch the full 50-minute event here!

Lā Honua Community Day

April 21, 2025: 24 volunteers celebrated Lā Honua (Earth Day) by outplanting with Liko Nā Pilina at the Keaukaha Military Reservation (KMR) in Hilo. In an amazing effort by community members, college students, and colleagues in conservation, 313 seedlings were outplanted along the roadside. Outplants included native plants like ʻōhiʻa, hau, and alaheʻe, and non-invasive introduced plants including ʻōhiʻa ʻai, kamani, and kukui. This planting continues our efforts to establish more native-dominant lowland wet forest at KMR.

After the outplanting, Liko Nā Pilina staff gave a tour of our experimental plots for folks to see the impact these plantings can have. Then we finished the day tasting teas made from noni and ʻulu, and playing with dye made from hau flowers. Mahalo nui to everyone who came out with such joy and passion to mālama our forest. ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia!

Native Hawaiian Plant Month and Lā Honua Celebration

Two women stand in front of "Laulima Nature Center" sign holding hala fruit and hala seedling
Woman stands behind a table with seedlings and other plant materials on it with many keiki in the background

April 12, 2025: Liko Nā Pilina joined Laulima Nature Center, Big Island Invasive Species Committee, and many others to celebrate Native Hawaiian Plant Month. Over 300 community members came by to learn about native lowland wet forest plants, test their knowledge, and take home a milo or alaheʻe seedling of their own. We even had two people guess the exact right number of kou seeds in a jar: 167!

April 17, 2025: Our staff tabled at the 2025 Lā Honua Celebration at University of Hawaiʻi Hilo. About 900 keiki came by in the morning to learn about plants, followed by about 150 college students in the afternoon. Such a joy to see so many people of all ages get so excited about our native and non-invasive introduced plants. Mahalo to everyone who stopped by and to the Lā Honua Committee for putting on such a great event!

Liko Nā Pilina PI-CASC Highlight for Native Plant Month

April 7, 2025: In honor of Native Plant Month, the Pacific Island Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) highlighted the Liko Nā Pilina project in their newsletter. The article, found here, discusses the project goals and outcomes so far, as well as meaningful partnerships and other achievements over the years. Give it a read!

Shadow the Scientists Visits Liko Nā Pilina Laboratory

October 24, 2024: Jameeka Marshall from Shadow the Scientists (StS) visited the Liko Nā Pilina lab where staff demonstrated how we determine plants’ functional traits, the process of leaf litter sorting and grinding, and data analysis using R. This StS session was streamed live for people to tune into from all across the world, and is now available publicly on their YouTube page.

August Outplanting, Dye, and Tea

August 9, 2024: 34 volunteers participated in an outplanting with Liko Nā Pilina and the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard Environmental Office at the Keaukaha Military Reservation (KMR) in Hilo. Volunteers included members of Hawaiʻi Army National Guard, Students and Faculty from University of Hawaiʻi Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College, and many community members dedicated to habitat restoration in Keaukaha. These incredible volunteers planted 242 seedlings in just one hour. Outplants included native plants like ʻōhiʻa, kōpiko, and alaheʻe, as well as non-invasive introduced plants including kou, kukui, and ʻōhiʻa ʻai. This was a continuation of outplanting efforts along Escape Road that began at the Earth Day outplanting in April 2024. The purpose of these efforts is to establish native-dominant forest that is more resilient against the many invasive plants and pests found at KMR.

After the outplanting, volunteers learned about some traditional uses of the plants found at KMR. They dyed fabrics using dyes made from milo fruits, which made a brown-yellow dye, and ʻōlena (turmeric) rhizomes, which made a pale, pastel yellow dye. Additionally, there was a tea tasting, with medicinal teas made from ʻulu, false kamani, and noni. It was great to see community members engaging with the plants at KMR in so many different ways. Volunteers were in great spirits, making for a great day of caring for the ʻāina, and learning about forest restoration in Keaukaha.

  • A group of people standing together smiling where they outplanted saplings.

PI-CASC Highlights Master’s Research by Liko Nā Pilina Staff

Our amazing technician Konapiliahi Dancil was featured in this month’s Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center newsletter! The article shares about his Master’s Thesis research, “What to Plant Where? Using Species Distribution Modeling to Select Restoration Species in Hawai‘i’s Lowland Wet Forests,” and his collaboration with land managers through the Lowland Wet Forest working group. Read more about it here!

Man stands in a forest beneath two tall hapuʻū ferns

Shadow the Scientist

June 2024: We had the pleasure of hosting Shadow the Scientists sessions for a variety of age groups, allowing people to engage with our work and learn about forest restoration from all over the world. The videos from these sessions are all publicly available via the Shadow the Scientists YouTube page and can be found below.

Liko Nā Pilina Objectives and Methods for Highschool

June 12, 2024

About the plants for Elementary School

June 4, 2024

Lā Honua Outplanting & Dye Workshop

April 27, 2024: 50 volunteers joined Liko Nā Pilina and the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard Environmental Office in partnership with Univeristy of Hawaiʻi Hilo (UHH) and Hawaiʻi Community College (HawCC) for an outplanting in celebration of Lā Honua (Earth Day). Participants included students from UHH, HawCC, and Hawaiʻi National Guard Youth Challenge Academy, as well as community members, members of Hawaiʻi Army National Guard, and university faculty and staff. All together, volunteers planted 338 seedlings of native and non-invasive introduced plants. Among the 24 different species planted were alaheʻe, kōpiko, ʻōhiʻa, kukui, avocado, ʻōhiʻa ʻai, and neneleau. Over the years, these plants will grow to establish a new forest canopy that facilitates further recruitment of native seedlings, increases native biodiversity, protects threatened and endangered species, and reduces invasive species management costs and control efforts.

To unwind after the outplanting, participants regrouped to work with the plants in another way: by creating dyes! Many native and canoe plants are traditionally used to dye kapa, and today are used for a variety of artistic and practical purposes. Volunteers were given the opportunity to color fabric with dyes made from milo fruits, which produced a rosey red color, and hau flowers, which created a grayish-green color. It was a wonderful celebration of Lā Honua working with the ʻāina and building pilina with Hawaiian plants.

  • All 50 volunteers pose together by the road in front of the forest.
    Mahalo nui to the 50 volunteers who came out and helped us plant 338 seedlings!

Visit from Shadow the Scientists

February 16, 2024: Jameeka Marshall from Shadow the Scientists (StS), an initiative based at University of California Santa Cruz, visited the Liko Nā Pilina site and spoke with our staff about the project. StS seeks to provide more equitable access to STEAM educational opportunities through virtual sessions that allow real-time interactions with experts across a range of fields. Our crew was featured in a StS session showing how we collect data in the field.

Woman videos two workers determining the number of seedlings inside a quadrat

Hilo’s First Annual Community Climate Fair

June 17, 2023: Our community outreach team, Maybeleen and Kili, participated in Hilo’s First Annual Community Climate Fair. We were so inspired after interacting with so many wonderful organizations who are working towards a greener Hawaii. This opportunity gave us the chance to meet with the public and share our research. Mahalo Kara Neal for organizing this incredible event; we hope to see you all next year!

Young woman sits behind a table full of information about the plants and methods behind Liko Nā Pilina
Two young women stand on either side of a person in a costume of a Pueo wearing a hat.

Forest Field Trip

May 5, 2023: The Lowland Wet Forest Working Group visited the Liko Nā Pilina plots and other areas of the forest to discuss restoration strategies.

Small mountain apple true with foliage against a blue sky
ʻŌhiʻa ʻai, also known as mountain apple

Educational Visit

October 2021: UH Hilo students visited the field to participate in an outplanting of trees to assist the Hawaii Army National Guard in further developing hybrid forest ecosystems. Students participated as part of the Kāwili Kine Culture program, an inter-departmental program collaboration with the UH Hilo Center for Global Education and Exchange and the University Housing Office, that was created to engage on-campus residents with opportunities in the local community. Read more about it!

Alumni Day!

May 2019: We held an event and invited all former project staff and some volunteers to come back and see the changes in the forest.

Four project staff standing in front of a structure holding up a timeline of the project.
Staff holding up a project timeline (pictured from right to left: Becky Ostertag, Amanda Uowolo, Susan Cordell, Nicole DiManno Martin)
Niu (Coconut) — Cocos nucifera Family: Arecaceae Polynesian-Introduced Habitat: Dry to mesic, coastal Elevation: Sea level to 600 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: Not only an excellent food source, niu can also be used for oil, rope, weaving, thatching, and endless other possibilities. Ka niu peʻahi kanaka o Kaipalaoa (1502) The man-beckoning coco palms of Kaipalaoa
ʻUlu — Artocarpus altilis Family: Moraceae Polynesian-Introduced Habitat: Mesic to wet, coastal Elevation: sea level to 650 m Outplanted in: Moderate Redundant, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: An ʻulu tree is traditionally planted when a child is born to ensure that the child has a lifetime of food. ʻAʻohe ʻulu e loaʻa i ka pōkole o ka lou (213) No breadfruit can be reached when the picking stick is too short
ʻŌhiʻa ʻai — Syzygium malaccense Family: Myrtaceae Polynesian-Introduced Habitat: Mesic to wet, high humidity Elevation: sea level to 600 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant Fun Fact: ʻŌhiʻa ʻai, also known as mountain apple, not only has delicious fruits, but can also be used medicinally. Traditionally, the bark is used to treat sore throats and deep cuts, and the leaves can be crushed and injested as a treatment for bronchitis. ʻŌhiʻa noho malu (2362) Mountain apple in the shade (Said of a beautiful person compared to an ʻōhiʻa ʻai that ripens perfectly in the shade)
Noni — Morinda citrifolia Family: Rubiaceae Polynesian-Introduced Habitat: Dry to wet, coastal Elevation: 1 to 800 m Outplanted in: Slow Complementary Fun Fact: Noni is not known for being particularly tasty. However, it is well known for its medicinal properties, used to treat a variety of ailments. The roots and bark can also be used to create a dye for kapa. Noni is the kinolau of Kū, the Hawaiian god of war. He noni no Kaualehu, he pūhai aʻa (845) It is a noni tree of Kaualehu whose roots are in shallow ground
Milo — Thespesia populnea Family: Malvaceae Indigenous Habitat: Dry to wet forest with volcanic soil, coastal Elevation: Sea level to 150 m Outplanted in: Slow Complementary, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: Milo flowers start out bright yellow with a maroon center in the morning, and fade to orange throughout the day. Milo is traditionally used in cordage, to produce tannin, dye, oil, medicine and gum, and also skillfully crafted into food bowls called ‘umeke ‘ai. He milo ka lāʻau, mimilo ke aloha (818) Milo is the plant; love goes round and round
Manakō (Mango) — Mangifera indica Family: Anacardiaceae Introduced Habitat: Dry to wet, coastal Elevation: Sea level to 1,200 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant, Moderate Redundant, Slow Complementary Fun Fact: Mango was introduced to Hawaiʻi in the late 1800s. Although the fruit is delicious, you must be careful when picking it! The white sap that oozes from the fruit and stem during harvesting is toxic and can cause rashes or blistering, much like poison ivy, which is in the same family.
Monkeypod — Samanea saman Family: Fabaceae Introduced Habitat: Dry to wet forest, riparian corridors Elevation: Sea level to 300 m Outplanted in: Moderate Redundant, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: Native to South and Central America, monkeypod trees are stars when it comes to carbon sequestration. One mature tree can absorb 28.5 tons of carbon per year!
Pea (Avocado) — Persea americana Family: Lauraceae Introduced Habitat: Mesic to wet forest, well drained soils Elevation: Sea level to 2,500 m Outplanted in: Moderate Redundant, Slow Complementary Fun Fact: There are 107 varieties of avocado grown on Hawaiʻi Island. Not only are they delicious, but you can also use the pits and skins to make a dusty-rose colored dye.
Kukui — Aleurites moluccanus Family: Euphorbiaceae Polynesian-Introduced Habitat: Mesic to wet forest, gallery forests Elevation: Sea level to 800 m Outplanted in: Slow Complementary, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: Kukui has an abundance of uses, from creating lei with the leaves and nuts, to spreading the oil over the surface of the sea to allow fishermen to see the fish more clearly. The most well-known use, which Kukui gets its name from, is lighting the oily nuts to use as a light source. Ka malu hālau loa o ke kukui (1474) The long shelter of the kukui trees
False Kamani — Terminalia catappa Family: Combretaceae IntroducedHabitat: Mesic to wet forest, coastal Elevation: Sea level to 400 m Outplanted in: Moderate Redundant Fun Fact: False kamani was introduced by the first European settlers for shade and as an ornamental. It is native to southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Kamani — Calophyllum inophyllum Family: Calophyllaceae Polynesian-Introduced Habitat: Dry to mesic to wet forest, coastal Elevation: Sea level to 200 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant, Slow Complementary Fun Fact: Kamani was brought to Hawaiʻi by early Hawaiians for the utility of the wood, which could be fashioned into waʻa, ʻumeke, and food vessels. In kapa making, the fruit can be used for dye, the flowers for scenting, and the oil for waterproofing.
Hame — Antidesma platyphyllum Family: Phyllanthaceae Endemic Habitat: Mesic to wet forest Elevation: 500 to 1,100 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant ** No longer present in the plots due to high mortality Fun Fact: Hame has edible fruits that can also be used to make a red dye. The wood is traditionally used as an anvil to prepare wauke fibers for kapa.
Loulu — Pritchardia beccariana Family: Arecaceae Endemic Habitat: Dry to mesic to wet forest, coastal Elevation: 300 to 1,270 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant, Slow Complementary, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: In Molokaʻi moʻolelo, a person could use loulu leaves as wings to glide on the wind from Molokaʻi to Maui. However, they would only succeed if they were good with their naʻau and ʻaumakua.
Kōlea lau nui — Myrsine lessertiana Family: Primulaceae Endemic Habitat: Mesic to wet forests Elevation: 300 to 2,290 m Outplanted in: Moderate Redundant, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: A red dye made from the sap of Kōlea is traditionally used to dye kapa. Evidence of Kōlea char in ancient oceanside fire bits on Oahu show that it once grew at much lower elevations than it is found at today.
Hāpuʻu — Cibotium spp. Family: Cibotiaceae Endemic Habitat: Mesic and wet forest Elevation: 250 to 1,700 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant, Moderate Redundant Fun Fact: Our plots have two endemic species of hāpuʻu: hāpuʻu pulu (C. glaucum), which is known for the golden hairs at the base of the fronds, and hāpuʻu iʻi (C. menziesii) which is characterized by black hairs at the base of the fronds. Hapuʻu is considered a famine food because it takes so long to prepare. He hāpuʻu ka ʻai he ʻai make (568) If the hāpuʻu is the food, it is the food of death
Alaheʻe — Psydrax odoratus Family: Rubiaceae Indigenous Habitat: Dry shrubland, dry to mesic forest, sometimes wet forest Elevation: 10 to 860 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant, Moderate Redundant, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: Alaheʻe is the kinolau of Kanaloa. Its leaves can be used to create a black dye, resembling the ink of its ocean counterpart, the heʻe (octopus). The dense wood is often used to create fishing implements.
Hala — Pandanus tectorius Family: Pandanaceae Indigenous Habitat: Coast or slopes of mesic valleys Elevation: Sea level to 600 m Outplanted in: Slow Redundant, Slow Complementary, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: Lei hala are traditionally used for funerals and to honor the dead. The leaves are often used for weaving; people once demonstrated their wealth based on how many woven hala mats they had stacked in their home. He iki hala au no Keaʻau, ʻaʻohe pōhaku ʻalā e nahā ai (624) I am a small hala fruit of Keaʻau but there is no rock hard enough to smash me
Māmaki — Pipturus albidus Family: Urticaceae Endemic Habitat: Mesic to wet forest Elevation: 70 to 1,870 m Outplanted in: Slow Complementary, Moderate Complementary Fun Fact: Māmaki can be made into a tea that is both calming and good for the circulatory system. The fruit is traditionally eaten by women to aid in child birth. Māmaki is the host plant for the increasingly rare King Kamehameha butterfly.
Neneleau — Rhus sandwicensis Family: Anacardiaceae Endemic Habitat: Dry to wet disturbed areas Elevation: 150 to 750 m Outplanted in: Moderate Redundant, Slow Complementary Fun Fact: Neneleau was one of few native plants that was able to re-colonize old sugar cane fields in which the soil had been severely degraded and contaminated with toxins like arsenic. Pua ka neneleau, momona ka wana (2696) When the neneleau blooms, the sea urchin is fat
Hawaiʻi ʻOhe — Polyscias hawaiensis Family: Araliaceae Endemic Habitat: Mesic to wet forest Elevation: 150 to 800 m Outplanted in: Moderate Redundant Fun Fact: The ʻOhe is among trees at Maunaloa, Molokaʻi posessed by the poison gods, Kāneikaulanaʻula and Kahuilaokalani, and the goddess Kapo. To tamper with the wood is to invite serious trouble. The berries are traditionally eaten by mothers to help produce milk that improves the growth and health of their baby.
Lama — Diospyros sandwicensis Family: Ebenaceae Endemic Habitat: Dry to mesic forest Elevation: 5 to 1,220 m Lama was already present at the project site and was left during clearing; it is therefore found in all treatments though none were outplanted. Fun Fact: The wood of lama is traditionally used medicinally and to fence off areas that are kapu such and for heiau construction. The small, red fruits are edible when ripe! Lama translates to “light”, as the plant is associated with enlightenment.
Kōpiko — Psychotria hawaiiensis Family: Rubiaceae Endemic Habitat: Dry, mesic, to wet forest Elevation: 150 to 1,590 m Kōpiko was already present at the project site and was left during clearing; it is therefore found in all treatments though none were outplanted. Fun Fact: Kōpiko has a hard, dense wood that is traditionally used for beating kapa. Kōpiko is named for the the distinctive line of glands along the bottom of the central vein (piko) of each leaf. Ke kōpiko i ka piko o Waiʻaleʻale (1756) A kōpiko tree on the summit of Waiʻaleʻale (A boast about an outstanding person)
‘Ōhi‘a lehua — Metrosideros polymorpha Family: Myrtaceae Endemic Habitat: Dry, mesic, to wet forest Elevation: Sea level to 2,500 m ‘Ōhiʻa was already present at the project site and was left during clearing; it is therefore found in all treatments though none were outplanted. Fun Fact: While in a jealous rage, Pele transformed her romantic interest, ʻŌhiʻa, into this gnarled tree. The lover of ʻŌhiʻa, Lehua, asked her ʻaumakua for help, so they transformed her into the flower to keep the lovers together. It is said that if you pick the lehua, it will rain because the lovers mourn their separation. Welehu ka malama, liko ka ʻōhiʻa (2932) Welehu is the month the ʻōhiʻa put forth leaf buds