Pu'u Maka'ala Natural Area Reserve NEON - United States of America

DEIMS.iD

https://deims.org/dc4e374a-afe9-4f66-87e2-dbda8ce7d052

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Basic Information
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Site Name
Pu'u Maka'ala Natural Area Reserve NEON
Short name
PUUM
Country
United States of America
Web Address
https://www.neonscience.org/field-sites/puum
Site Manager
Mike Long
Site Description
Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve (PUUM) is a terrestrial NEON field site located in the South Hilo district on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. The 75.7 km2 (18,700 acre) reserve is managed by the Hawaii Department of Natural Resources. NEON samples 47.2 km2 (11,662.5 acres) at the reserve. Situated along an elevation gradient of 853 - 1899 m (2800 - 6230 ft.) on Mauna Loa, it features a range of habitat types, from shrubby grasslands to wet rainforest. The unique endemic diversity coupled with threats from invasive species makes Pu‘u Maka‘ala a compelling location to conduct long-term ecological research. The reserve is dedicated solely for the purpose of conservation, making the area extremely important for the protection of native species. PUUM is the only field site of the NEON Pacific Tropical Domain (D20), which includes all of the Hawaiian islands.
Last modified
2025-09-18 15:09:40

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General Characteristics and Status
Site Status
Operational
Year Established
2018
Observed properties
Affiliation and Network Specific Information
Affiliation
GERI✔This site is a verified "GERI" member.
NEON✔ (PUUM)This site is a verified "NEON" member.
Photos
View from the Tower
View from the Tower
PUUM flux tower peeking through the trees
PUUM flux tower peeking through the trees
Geographic
View in site map
Centroid/Representative Coordinates

Latitude: 19.55309 Longitude: -155.31731

Size
ca. 4720.00ha
Elevation (average)
1685.00msl
Elevation (min)
1034.00msl
Elevation (max)
1877.00msl
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Site information [.json]

Centroid/representative coordinates [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
Bounding Box [.shp] [.kml] [.geojson]
GEO-BON Biome
Terrestrial
Biome
Evergreen Forest
Ecosystem Type
Forest
Evergreen Forest
Rainforest
Air Temperature: Average Annual
12.70°C
Precipitation Annual
2657.00mm
Geology
In Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve, the lava flow substrate age can be as recent as 1942 to as old as 8000 BCE. Extreme geologic disturbance in the form of volcanic activity has occurred historically, the latest being in 1942, and part of the reserve is downslope of potential eruption sites on Mauna Loa. The 1984 Mauna Loa lava flow comes within 1.6 km (1 mi.) of the Reserve. The geology can be described as Pāhoehoe and ʻAʻā of the Kaʻū Basalt.
Vegetation
Since the reserve spans across elevational gradients with varying substrate age, there are several plants considered to be dominant in different areas. Pu‘u Maka‘ala NAR is primarily ʻōhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha), with a dense understory of hapu‘u tree ferns (Cibotium glaucum and Cibotium menziesii). In areas with older substrate, koa (Acacia koa) can tower up to 36 meters. In areas with younger substrate, or where there was previous grazing, the ecosystem can be classified as montane grassland, with native and non-native grasses. In the lowlands, non-native Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleianum) encroaches upon and can dominate native ʻōhiʻa forests. Across the entire site, there are more than 160 endemic plant and fern species.
Soils
NRCS has classified the areas within the reserve to have over 25 different soil types, ranging from very deep at lower elevation to very shallow or nonexistent at higher elevation. Soils are well drained due to the abundant precipitation.
Hydrology
Soils are well drained, and there are no bodies of water aside from sparse bogs in the reserve.
Site Type
Platform
Design of Experimentation
mainly experimentation
Scale of Experimentation
beyond catchment scale
Design of Observation
mainly observation
Scale of Observation
beyond catchment
Permanent Power Supply
Yes
Accessible All Year
Yes
Permanent Operation
Yes