permaculture

[John Schinnerer <John-Schinnerer@data-dimensions.com>]

Aloha,

The story continues...what the land is like, how it got that way.

As a result of earlier land-use attempts by Shipman (chain-dragging,
burning, etc.), the condition of the land in HPP varies greatly from area to
area, from almost bare except for some invasive "weeds" to thick forest of
various sorts, some bits primarily native and even endemic, most decidedly
not.  Some lots are relatively flat, some are lumpy and bumpy with lava
ridges and collapsed lava tubes and so on - it's all pahoehoe lava
underneath.  For some info on the two basic types of lava, see the
presentation at:

http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/Parks/hawaii/hazards/hotlava.html

My acre is nicely bumpy pahoehoe under the forest duff, with lots of cracks
- very useful in designing (more on that later), aesthetically pleasing and
full of neat terrain features.

As to existing vegetation, I have mostly nice 'ohia forest - 'ohia is the
endemic rainforest canopy tree, an incredibly adaptable, durable, tenacious
and lovely tree.  Here's a close-up of a lehua blossom (the flower on the
'ohia):

http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/met_pol.jpg

  There are a few small and one very large cecropia trees (south American
import, somewhat invasive - goats love the leaves).  In the understory I
have various types of ferns such as uluhe, sword, and some others, including
native, that I can't name yet.  Also lots of bamboo orchids - these are all
over in HPP and elsewhere in Puna as they were aerially seeded as cattle
fodder back when Shipman was trying to run cattle on the land.  They spread,
but I wouldn't call them "invasive" and I like the look of them, especially
when they bloom (one flower only at the very top).  

Some tall clumping grasses (pili grass is the endemic variety, used widely
for thatching by the Hawaiians, but I think mine is mostly something else)
and a couple of invasive bushes/saplings/seedlings (rock rose, guava, etc.)
here and there covers most of what else is growing on the land.  There are a
few more open, less forested areas with only a few small 'ohia trees and
more grasses, etc. in two areas There's a melange of nasty mixed invasive
"weeds" along the edge of the road and for a couple yards back into the
property, spread by mowing the road edges and vehicle traffic , but behind
that it's a pretty "clean" ecosystem.  

I bought it from an owner who bought it from the subdivision corporation in
1969 and it appears it's been untouched since at least that long ago.
Except for the lot immediately behind, which has had plan D-9 implemented on
it, the surrounding lots also appear untouched for perhaps equally long..
To me this means that the micro-ecosystem has been quite stable for the past
30 years, and the 'ohia forest with existing understory plants has been only
slightly impacted and not at all overrun by all the aggressive aliens that
dominate in nearby areas.  I have lots of 'ohia trees, including a few of
the largest I've seen in HPP - 10" diameter trunks on a few, maybe one or
two a bit larger than that, 50'+ tall.  Lots of small ones too.  It's no
coincidence that the biggest of them are growing out of the biggest lava
cracks, where all the nutrients fall/blow/slide down to their roots.

I have great-smelling root-mass and humus on most of the property, varying
from a scant covering (1/4" - 1/2" or so) up to several inches.  There are a
few places where it's particularly thick, half a foot in a few small spots.
This may not sound like much for those used to deep-soil temperate
locations, but for this part of Hawai'i, it's a heck of a lot of "soil" to
start with!!  For anywhere in the tropics, maybe...?

Oh yes, and I have a big old mango tree about 40 feet back from the road and
near the center widthwise.  It was blossoming while I was there, just
starting to show fruit development when I left.  I don't know yet what
variety it is...as a friend of mine said, "...get two kine mangos.  Tastes
good; no tastes good."  I will hopefully get some reports on which of the
two kine I have sometime this spring.  There's also a small volunteer mango
sprouting up - it will most likely get grafted with several varieties next
time I'm there.

That's all for this chapter...stay tuned... :-)

John Schinnerer