Hosmer Grove is a half mile long trail
through a small forest of introduced trees. At the beginning
of the 20th century, Hosmer planted different kinds of trees
like pine, spruce, cedar and eucalyptus, as an experiment to
see if they would survive in Hawaii's climate. He was trying
to develop a timber industry on Maui. Some of the trees survived,
but most of the species he planted didn't fit well in this
climate. At the start of the trail you can pick up a brochure
that describes the introduced trees. Nowadays, the Park Service
tries to reduce the proliferation of these introduced species,
because many threaten the survival of native plants and animals.
The grove is a good place to see birds. I didn't find this
place very interesting, especially after coming from the crater.
