Koa Timber fined $141K
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
Koa Timber Inc. of Kapolei was slapped with a $141,000 fine yesterday for conducting illegal logging operations on 13 acres of land it owns north of Hilo.
Koa Timber is seeking a state conservation district use permit for a separate logging operation on 13,129 acres it owns in the same area, and the fine for illegal logging will not affect that application, said Sam Lemmo, administrator of the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
However, Lemmo said his department would not take further action on Koa Timber's application to harvest timber on the larger parcel until the company pays the fine and presents a habitat restoration plan for the area.
At its meeting in Honolulu yesterday, the Board of Land and Natural Resources gave Koa Timber five months to pay the fine.
DLNR investigators concluded that Koa Timber had cut down 135 koa and two 'ohi'a trees without a permit in 2000 and conducted unauthorized grading and road construction. A state permit is required for logging on property classified as conservation land, even if the land is privately owned.
Company officials told state investigators that harvesters mistook their location and believed they were cutting trees on neighboring lands, where logging is allowed without a permit.
The board could have fined the company as much as $2,000 for each illegally harvested native tree, but recommended a fine of $1,000 per tree. A staff report said there was no evidence the action was deliberate, and noted that Koa Timber had cooperated.
"As always, we look for mitigating circumstances and reserve the maximum fines for the really bad actors," Lemmo said.
Koa Timber referred calls about the case to company lawyer Danton Wong, who was unavailable for comment.
Koa Timber's larger logging operation is proposed for an area about 10 miles north of Hilo, mauka of Papa'ikou and Pauka'a. It has been opposed by some on the Big Island who believe that the state should not allow logging in one of the largest remaining koa stands.
Koa Timber plans to use helicopters to haul out logs to minimize environmental impacts, and to take steps to stimulate new koa growth and control invasive plants such as strawberry guava.
Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.
