Posted on: Thursday, April 12, 2001
Big Island logging bid under attack
By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HILO, Hawai'i — Most of those testifying last night urged the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to either reject a proposal for the harvesting Big Island koa trees or to send the developer back to the drawing board for a complete environmental impact statement.
At issue are plans to log more than 16,000 acres of trees north of Hilo over the next 100 years.
Koa Timber Inc. is seeking a conservation district use application to allow the commercial logging. It already is experimenting with a separate 1,280 parcel designated as agricultural that does not need state approval.
The Sierra Club, Friends of Hamakua and Earthjustice were among those objecting to the plan at a public hearing attended by more than 70 people at the Hawaii County Council Room.
"Everything is deficient," said Marjorie Ziegler, an Earthjustice representative who called the proposal "potentially devastating." She called the environmental assessment prepared by Wade Lee of Honoka'a as "woefully inadequate."
Lee said he had invited participation from the environmental groups but received little response.
David Frankel of Volcano, a leader of the Sierra Club, accused the land board of not meeting its responsibility by failing to reject the assessment outright.
Deborah Ward of the Sierra Club said the assessment was full of inconsistencies. "There is no (study of potential) economic impact," she said.
Others asked about fire protection and noise from a helicopter that would be used to haul out the timber. Curtis Tyler III of Kona, Hawaii County vice chairman, asked for more details about watershed management.
Support for the proposal came from Francis Benevides of Hilo who said he has been fostering the timber industry on the island for 60 years. Also in favor was retired sugar worker Tony Medeiros, 81, who said jobs are needed.
John Cross of Mauna Kea Agribusiness, a C. Brewer subsidiary that borders much of the Koa Timber, said he supports the harvesting because without a management plan the forest will be overcome by invasive species.
Last night's comments came in response to a Conservation District Use Application seeking authority to log 16,266 acres of koa trees up slope of rural Hilo areas — Papai'kou, Pepe'ekeo and Honomu on Mauna Kea mountain.
Kyle Dong of Koa Timber Inc. at Kapolei on Oahu is the applicant. He acquired the lands last year from a Chinese family with ties to Chiang Kai-shek.
The seller was the Kung Estate, created by the death of Ling Kai Kung, who owned the property for about 25 years.
Koa Timber wants to first harvest dead and dying trees.
