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HRS §186-5.5

Landowners can harvest new trees under approved plans

Landowners in certain agricultural or conservation zones can harvest new trees if they follow a state-approved management plan. The state is only responsible for its own actions, not for private property issues. This section also defines what counts as degraded forest.

landowners

The statute, as written — Right to harvest

(a) The owner of land shall have the right to harvest new trees generated according to a management plan approved by the department on lands within the agricultural district as provided by section 186-2(a)(1), or on degraded forest and pasture lands within the conservation district and zoned for commercial forest use as provided by section 186-2(a)(2); provided that this right shall be subject to the power of the State to protect health, safety, and welfare. (b) The State's liability as a result of the right to harvest new trees shall be limited to actions taken only by the State and shall not extend to any private property rights. (c) As used in this section, "degraded forests" means areas which have had considerable disturbance, are altered from their natural state, and contain less than twenty per cent crown canopy of native tree species.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

Sections this one refers to

§186-2 Who can qualify as a tree farm

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.