Koa Silviculture. Koa silviculture will include stand improvement that will create new forest in formerly logged areas and degraded pasture lands, increase soil-water retention capacity, and provide nesting and foraging habitat for Hawaiian forest birds, the Hawaiian hawk and the Hawaiian Hoary Bat. Reforestation also may occur in former pasture lands and other areas depicted as silviculture areas in Figure 4. KS will conduct silviculture practices in a way to ensure minimal impact to Covered Species through the procedures described below. Specific activities that will be conducted are described below. Silviculture activities may result in the loss or destruction of plant individuals of Covered Species (outplants, propagules), with the exception of the three special-concern species (Vicia menziesii, Phyllostegia racemosa, and Cyanea stictophylla), for which no adverse impacts are likely due to the inclusion of additional conservation commitments (Table 7). Additionally, due to the ephemeral nature of some Covered plant species’ life histories, individual plants may be missed during surveys, resulting in their loss or destruction from silviculture activities. The impact of this loss is anticipated to be minor or negligible to the survival and recovery of the Covered Species. No adverse impacts to Covered Species of wildlife are anticipated from koa silviculture activities within Forest Bird Stratum 1 due to the incorporation of avoidance and minimization measures. Adverse effects to Covered Forest Bird (ʻAkiapōlāʻau, Hawaiʻi Creeper, Hawaiʻi ʻĀkepa, ʻIʻiwi) species are likely to occur from silviculture activities outside Forest Bird Stratum 1 if those species become established in koa stands, as described below. Koa Silvicultural Activities within Forest Bird Stratum 1 Planned management of existing and new koa stands will include 20-30 % thinning of up to 50- 100 acres per year in Forest Bird Stratum 1 and will be based on the size and density of the forested area, generally within the first 10 years and again 25 years after planting. Koa stand management practices will reduce the density of koa and improve the health of the stand. Planned reforestation over the term of the Agreement will provide the tree cover as described in Section 5 for birds and the Hawaiian Hoary Bat. Thinning of young koa stands for stand improvement is an effective management practice to increase growth rates of koa trees by reducing the proximity of competing trees. Selective thinning of koa stands...
