Bezos funds UH project to fight wildfires

Bezos donation supports University of Hawai‘i research aimed at restoring Maui’s grasslands and lowering wildfire risk.

Much of Maui’s former sugar plantation lands are now unmanaged and dominated by invasive species, such as guinea grass, that create more fire-prone vegetation and intensify wildfire risk, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Several UH units are collaborating to address that vulnerability through land stewardship research designed to inform policy and guide on-the-ground management decisions.

The effort brings together researchers from the UH Economic Research Organization (UHERO) housed in UH Mānoa’s College of Social Sciences, the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience, and the Ecosystems and Land Care Program in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience. The work will be conducted with watershed partners, ranchers and ʻāina (land)-based organizations across Hawaiʻi.

“Insufficient investment in land care across former plantation lands has left large areas of Maui vulnerable to wildfire,” said Kimberly Burnett, a specialist with UHERO. “This work builds on evidence that actively managed lands, including forests, well-managed rangelands and agriculture, can significantly reduce fuel loads and support outcomes like erosion reduction, food production, biodiversity and community resilience.”

In the early stages of the project, researchers will work closely with partners to co-develop research questions and products that are directly useful for land managers and decision-makers. Anticipated outcomes include statewide wildfire risk and probability maps to help guide fire reduction strategies across a range of land uses, as well as analyses of different wildfire mitigation scenarios over space and time.

Those scenarios may include forest restoration, green breaks, agroforestry, grazing and mowing, with researchers assessing the benefits and costs of each approach.

“We want to look at options beyond just mowing brush given how well these different actions align with other things people value and contribute to public safety,” said Clay Trauernicht, a specialist with NREM.

The project will also examine policy and market-based tools that could help finance and support land-use transitions that advance multiple ecosystem services, including wildfire risk reduction, across Hawaiʻi.

The gift builds on existing support from the Bezos Maui Fund to restore the island’s watersheds and reduce wildfire risk, and reflects a broader strategy that links environmental recovery with community resilience. That land-based work is complemented by a separate $1.5-million investment to support Lahainaluna High School graduates enrolled at UH who continue to face economic hardship following the fires.

“We are profoundly grateful to our donors for their continued commitment to Maui,” said UH Foundation CEO and Vice President of Advancement Tim Dolan. “Their support is making a lasting difference for the people and places that define this community.”

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli