Kahikina Learning Center

The Hawaii Experimental Tropical Forest (HETF) support facilities for the Laupāhoehoe Unit are present within the town of Laupāhoehoe, outside the forest boundary. The Kahikina Learning Center (KLC) is located on 55 acres of old sugar cane lands within the Laupāhoehoe community, approximately four miles from the HETF forest boundary.

Facilities include a bunkhouse, kitchen, restrooms, and classroom/meeting space. The facility site offers opportunities for research, education, and demonstration. The Center operates on a reservation system for both facility and land use activities.

 

Year Founded
2009
Year Joined OBFS
2009
Size of Field Station (hectares)
1-100
FSML Web Address
https://thehetf.us/

Private nonprofit organization?
Yes
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
No
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
USFS
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated
0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
USFS
Name of partner
Tribal partners/users
Yes
MSI/HBCU users
Yes
Community College users
Yes
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Visiting a FS/ML

Open to the Public
No
Year round staff
Seasonal staff
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds
1-10
Distance to emergency services
41-60 minutes
Library
No
Hiking trails
Yes
Internship employment
No

Environmental Information

Biomes
Tropical Rain Forest
Minimum Elevation
301-750 meters
Maximum Elevation
301-750 meters
Köppen climate classification
A (tropical)
Freshwater habitats
Yes
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields
Yes

Research

REU host station
No
Dry lab space
No
Wet Lab space
No
Research vessels available
No
GIS capacity on site
No
Long term data sets
Yes
On site herbarium or voucher species
Formal Data Management Plan
No
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments
No
Date Joined OBFS
January 21, 2025