The koa tree grows only in Hawaii. It is found nowhere else on Earth.
Koa has a peculiar development. As a seedling, it produces normal compound leaves with multiple leaflets, the shape you would expect from a tree related to acacias. As the tree matures, it loses these leaves entirely and replaces them with phyllodes: flattened, sickle-shaped structures that are technically modified leaf stems, not true leaves. The mature koa tree has no actual leaves in the botanical sense. What looks like foliage is an entirely different organ.
The wood is exceptionally dense and has a dramatic curly or wavy grain that makes it one of the most visually striking hardwoods in the world. For more than 1,500 years, Native Hawaiian culture used koa for the objects that mattered most: outrigger canoes, surfboards, and royal implements. Only ali'i, the chiefly class, were permitted to own koa canoes. The wood was sacred and its use regulated.
After European contact, koa was logged commercially, and much of the lowland koa forest was cleared for cattle ranching and agriculture by the late 1800s. Today, the largest remaining koa forests exist at elevation in protected areas on the Big Island and Maui. The wood is still among the most valuable in the world per board foot. Illegal harvesting remains a persistent problem.
Conservation programs are replanting koa in degraded areas. The challenge is that koa is highly habitat-specific: it grows best in native Hawaiian forest systems with native understory, native bird pollinators, and minimal invasive species. Planting koa in isolation, without restoring the ecosystem it belongs to, produces trees that survive but do not thrive.
#nature #hawaii #forests #conservation
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the groundbreaking date for the Tulsa Oklahoma Temple and the location, exterior rendering and groundbreaking date for the Victoria British Columbia Temple.
“The purpose of the doctrine and policies of this restored Church is to prepare God’s children for salvation in the celestial glory,” President Dallin H. Oaks (@OaksDallinH) has taught. “The covenants made and the blessings promised to the faithful in the temples of God are the key.”
Learn more on Church Newsroom.
https://t.co/XxwaOGiZ0f
Missionary work is soaring to new heights. We are days away from the opening of 55 new missions. This brings the total number of missions to 506. There is a total of over 87,000 full-time missionaries. And we are currently being reinforced by the first wave of 18-year-old sisters beginning their service.
In coming weeks, we will have the largest number of full-time missionaries in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These missionaries’ first responsibility is to testify of Jesus Christ to a world that suffers without knowledge of His divine mission. They invite people across the globe to become part of His true and living Church.
I affirm my testimony of Jesus Christ and the truth of His gospel. The Holy Ghost has given me a witness of its truthfulness, and I rejoice that I can spend my life in proclaiming it.
#IronFire update: Fire is estimated at 4,700+ acres. Numerous structures are threatened. The Central Utah Type 3 Incident Management Team will in-brief tonight in Elberta at 1800.
Men on a Mission: My recent assignment to the Europe North Area with Elder Quentin L. Cook left me with deep appreciation for both early and modern missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
One of the historical areas we visited was the River Ribble, where Elder Cook’s great-great-grandfather, Elder Heber C. Kimball, performed the first baptisms in England in 1837. He was one of nine apostles called to serve in that early British Isles mission. Eventually, over 50,000 converts from that era emigrated to the Salt Lake Valley and became the strength of a growing Church.
On our recent visit, we also met with missionaries in front of Royal Albert Hall in London. It was inspiring to be with such a large group of valiant missionaries in such an historic location. We later had opportunities to witness of Jesus Christ at Pembroke College, Oxford University.
Those early “men on a mission” paved the way for future elders and sisters to invite God’s children to come unto Christ. Today there are six missions in the British Isles, part of a missionary force of more than 84,000 missionaries worldwide. Walking in the footsteps of those pioneering Apostles reminded me of the call we share with them even today, to be a witness to the name of Christ in all the world.
On Saturday, June 6, 2026, groundbreaking ceremonies took place for the Springfield Missouri and Missoula Montana Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“There are pictures of Christ in the temple to remind us of Him and why we choose to live the gospel,” Isabelle Duncan, a youth from the Missoula Montana Stake, said.
Learn more on Church Newsroom.
https://t.co/ToA10Wo8yV
In 2016, I had the sacred privilege of organizing the first stake in Prague, Czech Republic. You can imagine the joy I felt returning 10 years later to dedicate a beautiful new stake center in this same stake. Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this region has not always been easy. Yet through unwavering devotion and trust in the Lord, the faith of members of the Church has endured. As we look back with gratitude for those who came before, we can move forward with hope and confidence in the future. This new meetinghouse symbolizes the faith of members old and new and will be a blessing for all who come and see.
Will of the fiddler Neil Gow, a highly respected 18th century musician.
Wills and testaments can tell us much about people’s lives: what they owned, how they lived and what was important to them.
Find out more and search 👉https://t.co/9bcXL06s0d
Tomorrow (June 6) is the nation’s largest trails event - National Trails Day!
Join us at a local event to help leave the trails and outdoor community better than we found them: https://t.co/vLzMygnyeG.
@AmericanHiking
True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and is a principle of action, trust, and power.
As we act in accordance with the truths of the Savior’s gospel and trust in His promises, we are blessed with the spiritual capacity to “rise up” and press forward through the challenges of mortality while experiencing the joys His gospel makes possible in our lives.
You are not a data point. You’re a beloved child of God with moral agency and divine potential.
I invite you to join me at https://t.co/DvO30jyBlh on June 7 as we discuss how to hear God's voice in an age of artificial intelligence. You are not a data point. You’re a beloved child of God with moral agency and divine potential.
Discover Utah’s Silver Reef, a historic ghost town and one of the rare places on Earth where silver was mined directly from sandstone. The district produced 219+ tons of silver before 1888. Explore its geology in the latest GeoSights article: https://t.co/I3J7Ss7RG4 #utahgeology
On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed, releasing more than 4.8 billion gallons of water, enough to fill roughly 7,300 Olympic-size swimming pools. The flood devastated Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and claimed the lives of over 2,200 people.
Johnstown Flood National Memorial preserves the remains of the dam and tells the story of one of the deadliest disasters in American history. The site invites visitors to reflect on the tragedy and the remarkable relief efforts that followed.
The Smithfield Utah Temple stands as a spiritual landmark honoring the early Latter-day Saint settlers of Cache Valley, a scenic 50-mile-long valley that spans the border of Utah and Idaho. With major construction of the temple now largely complete, crews are focused on finalizing interior finishes and completing remaining closeout work throughout the building. Dates for the public open house and dedication of this house of the Lord have not yet been announced. (Photo: Wade Lindley) #smithfieldtemple #smithfieldutahtemple
https://t.co/cfAoaRRrLl
Feather stars are marine invertebrates with featherlike arms that radiate from a central body. They date back about 200 million years and are thought as living fossils
[📹 Marcelo Johan Ogata]
Learn about the Shoshone Saints, who helped build the Logan Temple and embraced the gospel while preserving their language and culture within their northern Utah congregation.
https://t.co/zxlvVwY4FR