Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 633 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate an unspecified sum for the Hawaii forestry and communities initiative to match federal funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources of the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Forestry and Community Initiative (HFCI), and Hawaii Forest Industry Association.

Your Committee finds that HFCI was formed in 1997 to coordinate the State's mission to diversify Hawaii's economy with sustainable forest practices through public and private partnerships, job training, and capacity building projects. HFCI, which is composed of federal and state agencies works with over thirty-five other agencies, organizations, private entities, and community groups. HFCI has set a goal of 105,000 acres, or about five per cent of agricultural lands in the State, to be devoted to sustainable commercial forestry. Since 1995, 65,000 acres have already been publicly committed to this effort.

Your Committee supports this strong federal/state/private partnership and believes the funding requested will generate benefits far in excess of the proposed state matching funds.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 633 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.