Koa (Acacia koa) is one of the most highly prized tropical hardwoods on Earth and a native of Hawai'i. Its colors vary from red and golden brown to ivory, and the curly grain makes it a favorite of furniture makers in Hawai'i. Native Hawaiians used the largest koa trees to carve their dugout canoes and in the world of musical instruments, the wood is fancied for the rich and warm tone it produces. Unfortunately, most of the accessible and original koa forests in Hawai'i have been cut down, leaving high demand and little supply for this magnificent and culturally important wood.
Along the Big Island's Hamakua Coast, much of the koa forests were cleared many decades ago to make way for grazing cattle, but a few koa trees remained in inaccessible locales. In fact, around the world, deforestation of tropical hardwood forests is occurring at an alarming rate, causing the price for tropical hardwoods to rise sharply. Beginning in 2009, Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods has been planting stands of koa in this fertile region of Hawai'i Island under a precision reforestation program that allows for sustainable harvest of the highly prized hardwood and a unique investment for entrepreneurs. The company's goal is two-fold: reforestation of koa in an area where koa once naturally grew, providing carbon sequestration and the return of native habitat, and an investment aspect, where investors can purchase blocks of koa trees, realizing returns from the sale of the koa as lumber many years down the road.
In 2008, seeds from the old-growth koa trees that remained on Hawaiian Legacy Hardwood's 2,700 acres were collected and germinated for replanting, ensuring the same species of koa that once grew in the area would thrive again. In 2009, 20,000 trees were planted and every investment opportunity was sold. This year, 60,000 koa trees are available for investment in lots of 100 trees. Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods expects to sell out by the end of the year. In total, the company estimates that 1.3 million seedlings will be planted over five years.
All the trees' needs are tended to by Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods. Specific trees are thinned, or culled, at strategic points over their 25-year growth cycle, when the bulk of trees reach maturity for harvesting. The removal of certain trees ensures that the highest number of trees in a lot grow straight and tall, producing the best, and highest-priced, wood for lumber. In addition, tree farms act as carbon sinks, as the sequestered carbon is trapped inside the wood, even after culling. Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods even takes care of the milling, sale and distribution of the final product, or they can deliver the wood right to your doorÜa woodworker's delight.