Public encouraged to keep forests clean by reporting illegal dumping

As people across Hawaiʻi show their love for the ʻāina during Earth Month, local officials are seeking help in deterring the use of state forest reserves as illegal dumping grounds. 

The Oʻahu branch of the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) recently discovered roughly 200 rubber tires dumped on the Puʻu ʻŌhiʻa Trail in the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve. 

“Public Forest Reserves belong to everyone,” said Oʻahu DOFAW Forestry Management Supervisor Ryan Peralta. “They are not landfills for personal use. The Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve provides fresh water to hundreds of thousands of people and dumping trash there threatens the water supply.” 

In addition to tires, green waste (cut material from private landscaping or tree removal) has been repeatedly dumped within the forest reserve. In addition to fouling public lands, the illegal dumping of green waste can spread invasive plants and insects. Several priority invasive pests, like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle, are known to move in green waste.

Hawaiʻi’s Forestry Reserve System includes roughly 700,000 acres, about half of all forested land in Hawaiʻi. These are public lands managed for the benefit of the people of Hawaiʻi and are meant to provide fresh drinking water, native species habitat, recreation opportunities, resources for cultural practices and economic opportunities through sustainable timber sourcing. 

Treating Hawaiʻi’s unique forests with respect is part our collective responsibility to protect them for future generations. 

Residents and visitors can assist the department in protecting public lands by reporting suspected violations to the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) at 808-643-DLNR.