From Invasive Fuels to Native Resilience

The project's focus is on wildfire prevention, mitigation, and education for the area surrounding Mālama Learning Center (MLC)'s headquarters. This area is located in upper Makakilo-Pālehua in the Waiʻanae mountains of Oʻahu on the wildland urban interface (WUI) next to agricultural lands with a high fuel load and covers over two acres encompassing a native plant nursery, an outdoor classroom, and a fenced restoration area. Strong winds, warm weather, recurrent drought, and widespread establishment of highly ignitable invasive grasses combined with a history of human-caused ignitions put the mountain and its communities at high risk for wildfires. This project is designed to match the goals of DLNR’s Hawai‘i Forest Action Plan (HFAP) and the West O‘ahu Community Wildfire Protection Plan (WOCWPP). Western Oʻahu is identified as a “hot spot” for its high density of ignitions per square mile.