July 1 - 6 We completed 7 surveys and 3 "Johnston Life" tasks this week, suffered through deluges of rain, and celebrated the 4th! The surveys were: 1) Klu - a vegetation management survey for the thorny Klu ( Acacia farnesiana ) conducted monthly. Klu is one of 4 Acacia species found on Hawai'i and was introduced before 1860. Only one acacia species, the Koa ( Acacia koa ) is native to Hawaii. Klu is very similar to the Haole Koa ( Leuaena leucocephala ), meaning "foreign koa", which grows all over Johnston. Because they look so similar it easy to mistake one for the other. Unfortunately Klu is armed with crazy long thorns and since it is very successful in this climate it can take over the whole island if given the chance. Klu hasn't been found on Johnston for just under a year but we survey previously impacted areas as a precaution. 2) Hand Searching - I may have stated before that Johnston is divided into a grid of 50 square meter plots. Each...
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