Koa Constrictors: Studying Things That Slow the Growth of Koa Crop Trees
Koa is one of the most valued of tropical woods. A particular type of koa tree, called Acacia koa, is found in the Hawaiian Islands. The wood from this tree is used to create furniture, cabinets, carved bowls, canoes, surfboards, body boards, ukuleles, and guitars. Unfortunately, the future demand for koa wood will not be met unless better ways are found to grow koa crop trees today.
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In this FACTivity, you will explore the reasons the scientists in this study might have chosen to be involved in the study.FACTivity – Koa Constrictors
In this FACTivity, you will explore the reasons the scientists in this study might have chosen to be involved in the study.
Glossary
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Paul Scowcroft
My favorite science experience was discovering why hanging a sheet of shade cloth on the east side of native ohia tree seedlings protected them from frost damage. At 6,500 feet...View Profile -
J.B. Friday
My favorite scientific experience on this project was seeing how the native plants, particularly the Hawaiian mint, grew back after we controlled the grasses. The Hawaiian forest was once full...View Profile -
Travis Idol
My favorite science experience was measuring the growth of roots into mesh bags filled with soil. The bags were placed in holes in the ground in forests of different ages....View Profile -
Dean Meason
My favorite science experience was working in the soil in the native forests of Hawai‘i. Soils can be wet and gooey or light and fluffy. Some soils are rich with...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- Culture
- Global Connections
- People, Places, and Environments
- Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
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Lessons
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In this lesson, students will increase their reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and summarization and explanation skills. Students will role-play as members of the Natural Inquirer Twitter Team (now X...Lesson Plan – Twitter Team
In this lesson, students will increase their reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and summarization and explanation skills. Students will role-play as members of the Natural Inquirer Twitter Team (now X... -
This lesson plan can be paired with any of the cultural essays from the Hawai’i-Pacific Islands edition of Natural Inquirer. After a brief introduction, students will read the cultural essay...Lesson Plan – Cultural Essay
This lesson plan can be paired with any of the cultural essays from the Hawai’i-Pacific Islands edition of Natural Inquirer. After a brief introduction, students will read the cultural essay...
Education Files
Canoeing and Surfing in Ancient Hawai‘i
The first Polynesians in Hawai‘i carved canoes and used these to travel over large distances. This is called “holomoana” or voyaging, a practice that continues today. In Hawai‘i, koa trees are still shaped into canoes. This is done for recreation and to keep alive the cultural practice and art of carving canoes. The art of carving canoes is called “kalai wa a.”
The best koa canoe trees are large, straight, and tall.
For Native Hawaiians and those who paddle traditional canoes, canoe building is a spiritual experience. In ancient times, canoe building was undertaken by traditional builders only after making customary offerings to the gods and receiving signs understood as blessings to continue.
Today, traditional offerings of thanks and respect are still practiced. From the time a decision was made to build a canoe until its first voyage, events were seen as good or bad omens. Koa trees were harvested in the mountain forests. The elepaio, a species of flycatcher, was observed over many days to note its tree-pecking behavior. If an elepaio was seen pecking into a tree, the tree was known to have insects. This would make it unsuitable for a canoe. Many of these traditional approaches to harvesting koa logs and shaping canoes are still practiced today.
Shaping a canoe from a solid koa log is complicated. After the canoe tree is cut, the future canoe is roughly shaped on the outside. After the outside shaping is done, the inside is hollowed out. In the past, this was done with stone tools. Today, power tools are also used. After the inside is hollowed out, the canoe tree is light enough to be hauled from the forest to the shore.
Hauling a canoe to shore was an important cultural event, requiring many people working (“laulima”) in unison (“lokahi”). The entire community celebrated this event. After bringing the canoe close to shore, the canoe builder finished shaping the canoe. This work was so respected that no one was allowed to talk in the building while the canoe builder was at work.
Koa wood canoes.
Koa wood canoes are long and thin and require an outrigger for stability. An outrigger is made up of a long float (“ama”) attached to the canoe with two bars of wood (“iako”). An outrigger does more than prevent capsizing. It keeps the canoe stable in even the roughest ocean conditions. Today in Hawai‘i, koa canoes are special vessels. They are used for racing and for ceremonies. Koa wood canoes are paddled by members of canoe clubs (“halau wa‘a”) during races. These paddlers are continuing an ancient practice that is a foundation of traditional Hawaiian culture.
The outrigger gives the long thin canoes incredible stability in even very rough water.
Another koa product is traditional surfboards (“alaia”). Koa was one of the three most common trees used for surfboards in ancient Hawai‘i. Koa wood surfboards are still used today. Surfboards came in many forms, shapes, and sizes. The long surfboards (“olo”) were carved from the wiliwili tree (Erythrina sandwicensis). The wiliwili tree produces very light but strong wood. Surfboards from these trees were reserved specifically for nobility.
Ancient Hawaiians began using wooden boards to surf waves very early in Hawaiian history. Although other early societies used surfboards, Hawaiian surfboard styles were more varied, and the Hawaiian art of surfing was more developed. Early Hawaiians created wood boards of various sizes so that different styles of surfing and different sizes of people could ride the waves.
Koa wood surfboards.
Surfing remains a way of life in Hawai‘i. Surfers ride waves today in the traditional manner. Paddling surfboards from a standing position has also become popular. Surfing ocean waves is an art that was begun thousands of years ago in Hawai‘i and will continue into the future.
Surfboards are sometimes paddled from a standing position.