Sandalwood orchards to help restore native forests
The state is partnering with a Big Island company to establish a Hawaiian sandalwood seed orchard on 2.5 acres in South Kona as part of an effort to restore native forest lands across the islands.
The orchard site is on 2,878 acres owned by Haloa Aina LLC, which calls itself “a reforestation company” dedicated to restoring native dryland forests. The family-operated company harvests dead and dying trees, grinding the wood and using a steam-distillation process to extract essential oils for use in cosmetics, perfumes and aromatherapy products.
