Mountain land on Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii is being acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide a refuge for Hawaiian birds. The area of the refuge between 1,800 and 2,000 m was previously used as mountain pasture and the forest cover was mostly altered to grassland. Below 1 ,800 m the forest canopy is open forest to woodland down to about 1, 700 m. Fenced exclosures were established in woodland at 1,700 m and in open grassland at 2,000 m elevation to evaluate natural revegetation and planted seedlings without disturbance by cattle. First-year survival of the resulting regeneration was good. Condition of the planted koa (Acacia koa) seedlings and rooted ?ohi'a (Metrosideros polymorpha) cuttings in the exclosure at 2,000 m elevation was only fair. Scarifying by disking in the exclosure at 1,700 m elevation was followed by good establishment of vigorous koa seedlings.
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