Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests

Puuwaawaa community-based subsistence forest area (p-cbsfa): this community-based collaboration led by lineal descendants of puuwaawaa aims to reforest 84-acres at puuwaawaa, once a vibrant dryland forest, now dominated by invasive grasses. This initiative is among Hawaii's first community-led efforts on public lands, offering a model for similar endeavors. Goals include forest restoration, enhancing access to culturally significant plants, augmenting carbon sequestration, and fostering ridge- to-reef resilience through biocultural education and stewardship.

Pilina 'aina: a dynamic collaboration between aftf, the us forest service, and the university of Hawaii at manoa, pilina 'aina celebrates and reinforces the profound connections between the Hawaiian community and their ancestral lands. The term "pilina" encapsulates relationships, while "aina" represents the land, the very crux of the initiative. Pilina aina provides immersive and empowering aina-based learning opportunities and education resources that encourage, facilitate, and enhance student, teacher, and community relationships with aina. These experiences, anchored in place and Hawaiian lifeways and practices, cultivate a deeper and personally transformative understanding of Hawaii's native ecosystems and provide enhanced secondary education and career-preparedness for youth. We offer programming to Hawaii's grade 4-12 students and their teachers through day trip field courses, overnight field courses, intensive teacher training programs, community-based events, and year-long professional development programs in stem.

Ohia disease resistance program (odrp): a coalition led by aftf, odrp stands at the forefront of combating rapid ohia death (rod), a fungal pathogen imperiling the ohia tree (metrosideros polymorpha) - a species foundational to native Hawaiian cultural practices and lifeways, and an ecological keystone that covers nearly one million acres of Hawaii's landscape; making it the backbone of Hawaii's native Forests and watersheds. Rod has already caused 180,000 acres in ohia mortality. The mission of the odrp emphasizes restoring the Forests afflicted by rod with potential rod-resistant strains of ohia, representing a beacon of hope for Hawaii's native Forests. Recent milestones include: (1) execution of two intensive disease-resistance screening trials, involving 686 ohia trees from areas with pronounced rod mortality. (2) identification of 371 ohia trees showcasing resilience against the fungal pathogen that causes rod. (3) developing strategies to use disease-resistant ohia to restore areas affected by rod, ensuring the tree's continued presence in Hawaii's landscapes.