Koa Disease Resistance — Seed Collection & Screening, Outplanting, and Seed Orchard Maintenance - Hawaii Island: • DOFAW's Hawaii Island office will provide logistical support on a time-available basis, such as monitoring mother trees, providing access to the site, accompanying vendor to site, or issuing permits as needed. • The vendor will begin discussion with DOFAW and neighboring land managers for locating another seed orchard site in the Kapapala region to utilize the disease resistant koa families identified from 2024 seed collection and disease resistance screening efforts. • The vendor will conduct quarterly maintenance of the wilt-resistant seed orchard site in the Kapapala Canoe Forest. Maintenance will include the grass control in seed orchard understory; fertilization with high P & K to encourage koa flowering and seed production; and selection for koa trees in the orchard to be thinned to promote seed production and to maintain genetic structure. The thinning operation will be performed by the vendor. • The vendor will conduct a large scale koa seed collection at "Puu O'o" an area which is located the Hilo Forest Reserve for reforestation efforts that are slated to begin in late 2025 and early 2026. The vendor will collect from mother trees with good growth form and enter data into the Division's Survey 123 koa seed collection app.
