REFOREST HAWAIʻI
Planting the Seeds of Biodiverse Native Ecosystems
We are dedicated to restoring and revitalizing Hawaiʻi's native ecosystems at scale.
We are dedicated to restoring and revitalizing Hawaiʻi's native ecosystems at scale.
Led by a dedicated team of restoration and agroforestry specialists, our initiatives span from mauka to makai. Our services include seed collection and banking, propagation and nursery management, project planning and implementation, education and community outreach.
Led by a dedicated team of restoration and agroforestry specialists, our initiatives span from mauka to makai. Our services include seed collection and banking, propagation and nursery management, project planning and implementation, education and community outreach.
Our globally recognized technology includes modular seed banks, solar desalination, and our open source forestry management software.
Our globally-recognized technology includes modular seed banks, solar desalination, and our open source forestry management software.
3RC serves as a gathering place and demonstration site for research focused on mitigating and adapting to environmental change both on land and in the ocean.
3RC serves as a gathering place and demonstration site for research focused on mitigating and adapting to environmental change both on land and in the ocean.
Our agroforestry team specializes in tropical fruit and nut orchards and offers business planning, design, installation, and management.
Our agroforestry team specializes in tropical fruit and nut orchards offering business planning, design, installation, and management.
Terraformation Hawaiʻi
Terraformation was founded on Hawaiʻi Island, home to two-thirds of terrestrial and marine biomes found on Earth. We have a kuleana (responsibility) to this archipelago that most immediately is impacted by the effects of climate change.
Rising sea levels and coastal runoff pollution are damaging coral reef ecosystems and adversely affecting communities across island nations throughout the Pacific and beyond. Because of this, Hawaiʻi is now a global leader in solving climate change through significant work and studies conducted by scientists, communities, and agencies statewide.
Terraformation Hawaiʻi aims to restore the islands’ forests to capture carbon and revitalize nature through native ecosystem restoration projects, seed banking , agroforestry operations, accessible technology, community engagement, and capacity building.
Our Kuleana
At Terraformation Hawaiʻi, we acknowledge that our kuleana as stewards of this ‘āina (land) is to create lasting solutions that accelerate biodiverse native ecosystem restoration. We understand that by being here, we are entrusted to fulfill our responsibility and privilege to care for this special place.
By prioritizing the restoration of native ecosystems, we can preserve biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services, and create a sustainable future for our communities and the environment.
Mountain to Ocean
Native Hawaiians understood the inextricable relationship between the health of the uplands, the impact on the sea, and our responsibility to both. Through our work at Terraformation, it is our incredible privilege to honor that holistic relationship through reforesting uplands decimated by overgrazing, restoring native species and their habitat, and helping to reconnect people back to what sustains them.
We Are Ancestors
The choices we make as a generation today directly impact the world and shape it for those yet to come. Through collaboration with community partners and local leaders, we can create sustainable, biodiverse ecosystems that put us in good standing as stewards of our grandchildren's future. Collectively, we will mitigate the impacts of climate change for our future, our children's future, and the planet.
Native Seed Banking
It all starts with a seed. Adequate seed supply is one of the biggest bottlenecks to native forest restoration. Active seed collecting and banking is a part of our daily operations. It is the first step to a successful restoration project and the preservation of Hawaiʻi's unique plant diversity in the face of climate change.
Native Restoration
Hāhai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau. #405: Rain always follows the forest. From seed to forest, our native restoration projects include:
• Planning and implementing native ecosystem restoration from seed to canopy
• Assessing local soil conditions, invasive species, and other site-specific ecological factors
• Consulting
• Researching, testing, and developing solutions to effectively scale restoration
• Monitoring restoration sites for long-term growth and resilience
Terraformation headquarters, located at Hawaiʻi Ocean Science & Technology Park (HOST Park), is a demonstration hub and center of knowledge on the west side of Hawaiʻi Island. This space is dedicated to scientific research, exploration, and stewardship of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, as well as a gathering place for community engagement and education. Arizona State University’s Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science (GDCS), a research unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, is co-located at 3RC, where Dr. Greg Asner is constructing a coral nursery to support marine restoration. Through this partnership, Terraformation Hawaiʻi will be able to take a ridge-to-reef, or ahupuaʻa, approach to restoration and climate change mitigation.
Once an ʻiliahi forest, this 45 acre site was covered with invasive buffelgrass and kiawe. Previously used for cattle ranching, the area was sparsely populated with native plants (ʻIlima and Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka) and modest population of ʻUhaloa (a Polynesian introduced plant).
Start Date: late 2020
Current Phase: maintaining & monitoring
Stats:
Highlights & Successes: Plantings have begun producing seeds
Abutting the sacred Waipio Valley, this 174 acre site is currently being replanted to transform the degraded cattle pasture into a thriving, biodiverse Hawaiian forest. The trees and shrubs we plant today will help support endemic fauna, protect watershed health, and improve soil quality.
Start Date: 2021
Current Phase: Planting, maintaining & monitoring
Stats:
Highlights & Successes:
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This interactive dashboard was developed by Terraformation for seed sourcing and restoration planning on the Island of Hawai'i. It includes native species from the leeward side of Hawaiʻi Island. We are exploring options to expand this tool to all Hawaiian Islands with developed species range maps that include all 1,158 native species.
The dashboard displays data for estimated and potential species ranges, seed zone, moisture zone, and reserve data. Data is displayed for the area in the map extent, a point clicked on the map, a specific address, or GPS coordinates typed into the search bar.
We invite you to use this tool to help with seed sourcing, to simplify the process of determining species ranges, for species lists of plants estimated to be naturally found in an area or that may be adapted to similar climate and environmental conditions, and more.
Terraware is a globally recognized, true seed-to-carbon software suite, including a user-friendly web app that allows users to manage a project’s inventory and a companion Android/iOS mobile app for field data collection and monitoring. This free and open source software replaces outdated spreadsheets and paper records, and supports forest creators in developing a knowledge base of their work so it can be passed on to future generations. The platform helps map seed sources, track seeds and seedlings, and allocate plantings. This enables foresters to run their projects more efficiently and learn from every step. Soon, the app will also support plant monitoring and progress reporting, both of which are essential parts of transparent, trusted forestry projects.
Manage and organize your seed supply: Keep track of every seed in your collection with detailed information about where it was collected. Use workflow reminders to optimize your seed bank staff, and track your seeds through every step — from processing to drying and storage. View and export inventory data to show what your team has accomplished.
Manage your nursery inventory: Get an overview of what’s growing in your nurseries and track seedling progress by species — with detailed data for each stage of readiness. Detailed insight into nursery activities helps you manage operations, avoid shortages, and streamline the overall planting process. It also enables loss tracking and analysis, which helps you maximize nursery performance.
Track your plantings: When seedlings leave the nursery, a detailed record of planting locations is made and validated with photos and monitoring data. Terraware enables the efficient creation of a planting baseline for each site, helping streamline monitoring and verification at later stages of growth.
The Seed Pod is a Terraformation native seed repository located at headquarters at the Ridge to Reef Restoration Center (3RC) in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi. This working laboratory, built within a 40-foot container, is solar powered and climate controlled, providing an ex-situ space and the proper conditions to process, desicate and store millions of seeds per year.
Native seeds are a vital component of any restoration project. Storing seeds alleviates delays in the restoration process by having seeds on hand, and can increase the biodiversity of projects by having numerous collections from different populations over time. Saving seeds conserves genetics in case of future threats such as pests, diseases, and wildfires.
Wai (water) in Hawaiʻi is a sacred and revered resource of our island home. Our solar desalination facility allows us a viable and sustainable resource for Pacific Flight at Kaupalaoa. Located on the leeward side of Kohala Mountain in the ahupua‘a of Kaupalaoa, Pacific Flight experiences the least amount of rainfall of all our projects, making it a challenging place for restoration. Previously used for cattle grazing for over 100 years, this area is highly degraded, having only a sparse population of native plants such as ʻilima and Pāʻū o Hiʻiaka. Reviving the native dry forest that once stood in this area requires supplemental irrigation, which is supplied by our solar-powered desalination system. Drought-resistant species of native trees like oaiʻa and wiliwili are also planted here with the hope that one day their canopies will protect the soil from the harsh sun and wind and allow for a native understory to flourish.
Our nurseries propagate a variety of species for biodiverse native forest restoration projects. We work across many ecosystem types and locations, requiring that we produce a diverse number of trees and understory plants to suit our sites' needs. All nursery processes are tracked through Terraware for nursery management.
Hawaiʻi is the extinction capital of the world, with so many diverse ecosystems and species found nowhere else on the planet. In partnership with Arizona State University (ASU), Terraformation takes a ridge-to-reef approach and restores degraded land to its former native forest ecosystems.
Mirroring the state of the land, coral reefs around the world are suffering due to global warming and sediment runoff. ASU is currently building the world’s largest coral nursery to prolong the health of coral reefs. Together in this pivotal partnership, we play a critical part in combating climate change and successfully restoring coral reefs along our shores.
The name Ākoʻakoʻa emphasizes the dual meaning of “to assemble” and “coral.” Terraformation works in partnership with ASU to combine land remediation, coral propagation, and community stewardship to turn the tide in favor of coral reefs for a new future. Ākoʻakoʻa is a shared stage to foster a deeper connection between coastal and coral communities in an era of climate change.
Impact metrics, number of native seeds banked, acres under stewardship between both TF and ASU
Our Agroforestry team has over 40 years of collective agricultural experience.
Watch Amazon CTO Dr. Werner Vogels as he visits us to talk about combating climate change with the planting of one trillion trees — a task made possible with the help of solar-powered desalination, seed banking and cloud-based technologies.
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