By Daniel Nychuk, 2nd year MDP student
My name is Daniel Nychuk. I am a Métis man and this summer, I had the opportunity to do an international field placement in Hawaii with Forest Solutions Inc. and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Forest Solutions Inc. offers land management and forestry expertise to various small and large landowners, non-profit organizations, public and private forest managers, and government agencies. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a semi-autonomous state agency that works to improve the well-being of Native Hawaiians through advocacy, research, community engagement, land management and funding community programs.
I assisted the Lands Department at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in developing business models for various Legacy Land properties. Legacy lands are lands acquired by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs that carry cultural significance to Native Hawaiians. My role was to develop multiple business models for the Agroforest project in development on the Wahiawā property. I completed a business plan for an Agroforest on the property. I also created numerous business models and briefing documents for various areas focused on economic sustainability, including Koa reforestation, Apiary business, Guinea Grass baling, biochar, and seed banking. I was also mentored by former MDP graduate Alex Keone Oldroyd.
Overall, this has been an amazing experience, and it has forced me to learn many new topics, including economic sustainability, agroforestry, and reforestation.
Alex Keone Oldroyd (L) & Daniel Nychuk (R)
