'Ohi'a lehua

And there's like just chasms everywhere and little streams and then a thick and tangled forest.

And really like also, you know, it's dominated by the like Ohia lehua forests with a lot of other native species mixed in.

One of the incredible things, too, is that like in the 1980s, Hurricane Eva hit the island and Hurricane Iniki hit again in 92.

But I think it's really Eva knocked down a huge amount of the Ohia forests on top of the plateau back then.

What was interesting, though, is it like knocked them over and they're one of those trees that will easily resprout.

So so much of the plateau then is these dense, nearly impossible to walk through areas where it's 50-year-old, 40-year-old fallen trees lying on their side held up at three feet, like the trunk alive with air roots that have now become like trunks anchoring it into the ground and branches going up like a dozen new trunks.

were closed for about two hours while police investigated.

The Merry Monarch Festival is putting a three-year moratorium on wild harvesting in the forests of Maile, Palapalai and Ohia Lehua.

They say the decision was made during a recent meeting in Honolulu with festival organizers, judges and participating kumuhula and after growing concerns about damage to the native plants.

The 2027 festival is the week of March 29th.

The pause in wild harvesting of maile, palapalai and ohia lehua takes effect immediately and extends three years.

When they go to gather in the forest now, it's so hard.

People are picking.