Calling the Rain

Description

The stately wiliwili was one of a variety of trees that once abundantly flourished in the dry forest ecosystem on Hawaii Island. When people introduced cattle, sheep and goats to this delicate environment over the past 200 years, this tree was devoured almost to extinction. Forests create weather so, predictably, with the decline of the trees and understory plants, rain became scarce and left the land dry and parched. After visiting some of the remaining mature wiliwili trees I realized the power and importance of forests to the well-being of our planet.