"This long anticipated and much needed reference book on native Hawaiian Koa is packed with valuable information, backed by solid research and long term field projects. It is a must for anyone who is interested in Hawaiian plants, as well as for those of us who are eager to grow and restore our beloved koa. With the help of this book, we may all reach our goal of sustainable healthy koa forests. It is easy and enjoyable to read, and to find the information that you seek. Hawaiian names and explanations are a great feature. There are fascinating personal accounts, sharing experiences on cherishing and growing koa by experts including a forester, a botanist, a woodworker, a farmer, a naturalist and a navigator. Excellent photos reinforce the messages shared in the text. This book is fabulous. Let’s Grow Koa!" —Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst, Director of Honolulu Botanical Gardens and author of Growing Native Hawaiian Plants Learning more about the wonderful koa tree is the kuleana (privilege and responsibility) of everyone who loves Hawai‘i. This easy to read, informative and inspiring book will show you how to: • Understand what happened to the koa forests • Plan for a successful koa planting • Gather seeds • Grow strong seedlings in the nursery • Plant seedlings in the ground • Take care of the trees as they grow • Foster the genetic diversity of this majestic tree for future generations A great book for gardeners, landowners, educators, farmers, foresters, and conservationists! Purchase the book Reviews Contents Author Biographies
	Growing Koa: A Hawaiian Legacy Tree is published by Permanent Agriculture Resources with support from Muriel and Kent Lighter.
For other inquiries or to purchase the book directly: Permanent Agriculture Resources P.O. Box 428 Holualoa, HI 96725 USA Tel: 808-324-4427; Fax: 808-324-4129 Email: par@agroforestry.net Reviews It is a magnificent manual and will serve me well. Kudos on the excellent photography and the user friendly layout. I am most impressed with the quality of your seedling production and look forward to improving my own techniques through the guidance you have provided me. Your new publication has also provided me with new initiative in providing meaningful information and technology to the efforts focused on the conservation of Koa. James Leary Department of Molecular Biosciences and Biosystems Engineering College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources University of Hawaii at Manoa The book is excellent. You have packed it with lots of useful information about the biology, growth, and care of koa trees. The many photographs illustrate and highlight the text very well and help to bring the information to life. The "Perspectives" chapter adds an important aspect to the information for it reflects the intricate and long-term relationship of people to koa trees and koa forest. The "Resources" section is also excellent, especially with the annotations. I am sure this section and your book as a whole will serve as a valuable guide for people interested in learning about and growing koa for years to come. Candace Lutzow-Felling Botany Department & EECB Program University of Hawai'i I love this book. It is an enjoyable read, encouraging and simplifying koa cultivation. It made me feel less intimidated by this majestic tree. I enjoyed reading about people who are growing and cultivating our native giant. With Growing Koa as a guide, I feel inspired and empowered to plant koa and to recommend it in plantings for my clients and my students. Diana Duff Educational Coordinator Kona Outdoor Circle and Hawaii Island Landscape Association This is a beautiful and thoughtfully illustrated book for an esteemed Hawaiian native tree. Dr. Bryce Decker Director Tropical Reforestation and Ecosystem Recovery (TREE) Center Growing Koa is a beautiful book, well written and organized. The illustrations show koa's remarkable diversity, both in the shape of the trees and leaves and also of the wood quality. The "state of the art" for growing koa is well presented, and the many areas where there are still unknown factors are also discussed. J. B. Friday Certified Forester®, Extension Forester College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources University of Hawaii at Manoa Contents Dedication by Hannah Kihalani Springer v Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Koa and Humans 2 What Happened to the Koa Forests? 3 Koa Wood Today 5 Planting and Perpetuating Koa 6 About the Koa Tree 7 Variability 7 Koa’s Vital Role in Forest Fertility: Nitrogen Fixation 11 Other Native Hawaiian Nitrogen Fixing Trees 12 Environmental Preferences and Tolerances 12 How Big Do Koa Grow? 12 Some Ways People Plant Koa 13 Get Ready to Plant! 13 Planning 15 Who is the Planner? 15 Gathering Information 16 The Planning Process 17 Starting Small 21 Genetic Trials 23 Seeds 25 Genetic Quality 25 Selection Criteria 26 Picking 27 Drying 28 Storage 28 Nursery Practices 29 General Nursery Set-Up 30 Containers 30 Potting Media 31 Mycorrhizal Fungi 31 Getting Seeds to Sprout (Scarification) 32 Sowing 34 An Ancient Partnership: Rhizobia Bacteria and Koa 35 Restoring the Partnership 35 Rhizobia Strains 35 What Are Inoculants? 36 Nursery Care 40 Timing 43 Preparation 45 Protecting the Area 45 Preparing the Planting Site 47 Special Site Preparation 50 Marking the Planting Spots 50 Amending 50 Tree Planting 51 Timing 51 Transporting and Preparing the Seedlings 51 Planting Seedlings 52 Planting Large Koa Seedlings 54 Weed Barrier/Mulch 54 Replanting 55 A Few Guidelines to Keep in Mind 55 Management 57 Watering 57 Weed Control 57 Fertilization 58 Pruning 58 Thinning 59 Pests, Diseases, and Other Damaging Agents 59 Beyond Koa 62 Native Hawaiian Plants 63 Perspectives 65 Nainoa Thompson 65 Benton Keali‘i Pang 67 Candace Lutzow-Felling 69 Heidi Leianuenue Bornhorst 70 Patrick Baker 72 Bart Potter 74 J. B. Friday 78 Nick Dudley 79 Mel Johansen 80 Paul Scowcroft 81 Kelly Greenwell 81 Mark Kimball 82 Kanoa Kimball 83 Sally Rice 84 Ernest Pung 85 Peter D. Simmons 86 Roger G. Skolmen 86 Rob Pacheco 88 Resources 90 People 90 Recommended Reading 91 Agencies 93 Societies and Organizations 94 Trails and Hiking 96 Where to See Koa Trees 96 Web sites 96 References 97 About the Authors 101 About the Sponsors 102 Index 103 Author Biographies Kim Wilkinson is an editor for The Overstory, an international electronic agroforestry journal with subscribers in over 160 countries. She operates a reforestation nursery on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has B.A. degrees in Anthropology and Ecology from Emory University, and is a Certified Permaculture Consultant (Tyalgum, Australia) and Master Gardener (University of Hawaii). Craig Elevitch is an Agroforestry Specialist practicing in Hawaii since 1989. He has authored numerous management plans for forestry, forest stewardship, and agroforestry projects for landowners. As the Director of Permanent Agriculture Resources, he has also led many practical agroforestry workshops, training over 600 Pacific Island extension workers and farmers in agroforestry techniques and species choices, as well as coordinating several publicly funded research projects in agroforestry. He is an editor of the international agroforestry journal The Overstory. He has a M.S. degree from Cornell University, and manages the Hawai’iki Agroforestry Project on the Island of Hawaii.