Celebrating 31 years of promoting healthy & productive forests
Established in 1989, the Hawai’i Forest Industry Association (HFIA) is a 501c6 nonprofit corporation founded by people dedicated to responsible forest management. HFIA’s programs promote healthy and productive forests, increased business in Hawaii’s estimated $30.7 million annual forest industry, and more jobs within the sector. HFIA formed the 501c3 nonprofit organization, the Hawai’i Forest Institute (HFI) in 2003.
HFIA and HFI have many projects including:
- Hosting our annual woodworking exhibition Hawaii’s Woodshow and associated Workshops;
- Promoting Hawaii’s Wood branding program;
- Restoring endangered dryland habitat in North Kona;
- Honolulu Zoo Children’s Discovery Forest;
- Keauhou Bird Conservation Center Discovery Forest;
- Pana‘ewa Zoo Discovery Forest;
- Conducting Young-Growth Koa Wood Quality Assessment Study;
- Sponsoring Symposia and Workshops;
- Offering professional training; and
- Serving as an advocate for Hawaii’s diverse forest industry.
HFIA Articles of Incorporation
HFIA 5-Year Strategic Plan for Years 2022-2026 – Updated
HFIA Presentation
Don Bryan Presidents Report Feb 2022
HFIA’s purposes are to:
- Manage and encourage sound forestry practices for the benefit of our forests and the forest industry;
- Promote the health of Hawaii’s forests;
- Promote public relations for the Hawai’i forest industry and to stimulate interest, use and involvement in the forest products industry;
- Provide members and others with opportunities for dialog, education, advancement, and improvement in all aspects of the Hawai’i forest industry;
- Promote, foster and develop industry standards, research and develop-ment, quality control and industry integrity in the State of Hawai’i;
- Articulate and advocate as a focused voice the needs and interests of the forest industry before local, state and federal governments; and
- Operate as an official trade association of the Hawai’i forest industry for the purpose of promoting a common business interest.
Directors, Staff, and Contractors
DIRECTORS
Officers
Guy Cellier, Vice President
Irene Sprecher, Vice-President
Taylor Coons, Secretary
Wade Lee, Treasurer
STAFF/CONTRACTOR
Executive Director
Christopher Chwastyk
Outreach/Legislative/Administrative Assistant
Aspen Billiet
Ka‘ūpūlehu Restoration Technician
Kekaulike Tomich
Ka‘ūpūlehu Multi-media Director
Yvonne Yarber-Carter
Ka‘ūpūlehu Hui Aina Director
Keoki Apokolani Carter
Ka‘ūpūlehu Cultural Educator
Ku’ulei Keakealani
Jill Wagner, Future Forests Nursery
Public Relations
Current Events-Laura Aquino
In Memory of Don Bryan
July 18, 1944-August 26, 2022
Don Bryan was a professional forester trained at the University of Washington. He was active in the Pacific Northwest forest products industry starting in 1967. His most recent position was a partner of Hāmākua Tropical Woods. Don worked for 15 years for the Weyerhaeuser Company, where he served as a road engineer, timber cruiser/appraiser, timber and land purchasing manager, and district forester. During his career at Weyerhaeuser, he was in charge of planting 40 million trees on their Vail, Washington tree farm. He also purchased and traded timberland for Weyerhaeuser.
In 1984, Don joined the Campbell Group, an investment banking firm, where he was responsible for timberland acquisition and management. He was Timber Vice President during his tenure at Campbell, where he played a key role in the first major timberland acquisition by a financial institution in the Pacific Northwest and the first investment by China in the US since World War II. Don founded The Timber Exchange in Portland in 1987 and was president until 2006. The Timber Exchange did strategic consulting and forestland investment advising for members of the forest products industry and financial institutions throughout the west coast.
Since 1999 Don focused on launching a forest products industry on Hawai’i Island. He and his wife Jana moved from the mainland to Hawai‘i in 2005 to devote their energies full time to the development of commercial forestry. Don served on the HFI Board for two years and as HFIA Director for 14 years; three years as Vice-President and two years as President. He made valuable contributions to HFIA and the forest industry for over 17 years. During his term as HFIA President, Don made significant progress as the leader of the Healthy & Productive Forests Project. He was a HFI Director and HFIA President at the time of his passing.
GENERAL DISCLAIMER
Hawai’i Forest Industry Association endorses, advocates and supports healthy and productive forests in Hawaii. We welcome membership from anyone interested in our mission. Membership does not imply that the Association endorses the actions of individual members.
INVESTMENT RISKS
All investments are subject to risk. Knowledgeable and active investors have increasingly chosen forestry and associated natural resource investment opportunities to provide diversity, alternate, contra cyclical and longer term stability to a portfolio.
Investments in forests are inherently long term commitments subject, but not limited to, assorted variables including market fluctuation of timber and timberland prices; unpredictability of production costs; relative illiquidity compared to stocks and other financial assets; environmental hazards such as fire, storms, pest infestation, disease, animal damage, and theft as well as regulatory risk such as legislation related to land use and threatened or endangered species.
While established, world renowned timber species are being grown in Hawaii, investments in all Hawaiian timber species do not yet have the experience of a life cycle investment and, as such, have additional unique risks.