New National Forest for Hawaii May Be Considered in Congress

Congress is considering studying whether to establish a national forest in Hawaii to protect the state’s vanishing native trees and ecosystems.

If created, it would be the nation’s first new forest in more than 35 years.

A new national forest would allow the U.S. Forest Service to help Hawaiian officials address their declining ecosystems, Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) said Thursday at a House Committee on Natural Resources subcommittee hearing.

Under Case’s bill, H.R. 7045, Congress would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study and identify land that could be included in a national forest in Hawaii, ...