Off the news: Festival prunes flower and fern harvesting

The Merrie Monarch Festival’s announcement of a three-year pause on wild harvesting of maile, ohia lehua and palapalai (a lace fern) for its annual Hilo hula competition is welcome. It’s being done in the spirit of malama aina and shared responsibility to preserve Hawaii’s native plants; the red ohia, in particular, has been devastated by a fungal blight.

See the original article at: Honolulu Star-Advertiser