{"id":237278,"date":"2026-07-13T14:15:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T00:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=237278"},"modified":"2026-07-13T14:15:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T00:15:57","slug":"training-forest-landowners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/13\/training-forest-landowners\/","title":{"rendered":"10 years of training forest landowners to protect Hawaiʻi forests"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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The program is celebrating 10 years of forest education and conservation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nine forest landowners from Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island and Oʻahu<\/span> officially graduated from the 10th annual Forest Stewards program on June 28, following an immersive three-day workshop in Pāhoa<\/span> on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island.<\/p>\n

Housed in the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Mānoa\u2019s<\/span> College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>), the initiative helps people master the fundamentals of sustainable forest management, then design and implement community projects that bring this knowledge to their local neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

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CTAHR<\/abbr> Forest Stewards spent time in a community-managed native forest in Puna on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island as part of their three-day program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blending science, business and worldviews<\/h2>\n

Led by CTAHR<\/abbr> Extension Forester J. B. Friday, the program covers practical, ecological and cultural dimensions of land stewardship. This year\u2019s curriculum delved into the forest history of Hawaiʻi,<\/span> strategic tree selection, aggressive weed control and agroforestry practices — the practice of combining trees and shrubs with crops or livestock to create more productive, sustainable and diverse land-use systems.<\/p>\n

Participants also learned how to navigate the layers of local government to maximize property tax incentives for designated forest lands. They learned Hawaiian words for the land and explored how modern land management in Hawaiʻi<\/span> is shaped by both Western and traditional Hawaiian worldviews.<\/p>\n

While the newest cohort of graduates is currently designing their projects, they follow a legacy of alumni who have transformed conservation in their communities. Past Forest Stewards program achievements include:<\/p>\n