Industry in jeopardy
I was hired by Prudential Timber as the project manager for the planting of trees along Hamakua after the demise of sugar.
During this process, we planted more than 10 million trees on more than 25,000 acres of abandoned sugar cane land. This process provided work for machine operators, planting crews, professional foresters, local nurseries and paid regular tax dollars.
These trees were planted to stimulate a timber industry that could involve exports as well as local processing. They were planted as an agricultural crop to be harvested.
The state has also planned for and planted trees to help to create a timber industry. The Waiakea Timber Management Area outside Hilo has more than 12,000 acres of non-native hardwoods planted to stimulate local processing and create jobs.
The vision of the Hawaii forest industry — be it on private or public land — has always been higher value timber products, like sawtimber and veneer. However, these value-added industries could not materialize without a market for the waste material — more than 50% of each tree.
Finally, the vision and work of many can be realized. With Honua Ola, the waste timber has a place to go and the higher value products can be locally produced, providing much needed jobs.
Let’s allow Honua Ola to move ahead — providing sustainable, locally produced renewable power, as well as being the catalyst to jump-start a green, renewable timber industry.
Guy Cellier
Waimea
DOH mismanagement
Drs. Bruce Anderson and Sarah Park have been lying to all of us regarding contact tracers.
As a result, Oahu is out of control.
Their mismanagement shows they are not capable of doing the job, and they are putting everyone’s lives at risk. Gov. David Ige needs to do the right thing and fire them and give oversight of the entire Department of Health to Lt. Gov. Josh Green, with absolute authority.
This raises a question for all of us living on the neighbor islands. According to news reports, DOH has done a terrible job of contact tracing on Oahu and does not have enough staff. Does that mean neighbor islands have no one doing the job?
Hawaii County Council members each have $100,000 of COVID-19 monies to spend. Those funds would be better spent to set up contact tracers on this island, instead of depending on the DOH.
Kale Gumapac
Keaau