A sharp change in Hawaii’s public land policy is recommended in a new report from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

The change, the report suggests, could create a timber industry that would surpass the sugar industry in economic importance, add to Hawaii’s tourist and recreation potential and add new grazing lands.

All of this would be done, in effect, by “unlocking” the forest reserves now held almost exclusively for water collection and conservation purposes.

The report argues that sound water conservation practices can be continued even while permitting these additional uses of the forest reserve land.

It stresses, however, that the multiple-use land program must be carefully controlled and abuses prevented.

The report, entitled “Public Land Policy in Hawaii: The Multiple-Use Approach,” is by William V. Frame of the department of political science at the University of Washington and Robert H. Horvitz, professor of political science at Michigan State University.

Copies of it are available from the Legislative Reference Bureau at the University of Hawaii for $1 each.

Growing conditions in Hawaii are ideal for many kinds of timber, the report says, and lumber can be raised here faster than in most areas.

It argues, too, that world lumber supplies are diminishing at a time when population and demand are growing. …

At the same time, Frame and Horvitz argue, roads into the forest reserve will provide a whole range of new recreational opportunities. …

These, it says, can be made to appeal particularly to budget-conscious residents and tourists who want to avoid the expensive hotels.

With proper staffing and protection, the report contends, there need be no threat to the forest reserve.

In a historical review, Frame and Horvitz contend that Hawaii’s present single-use policy for the use of the forest reserve developed when there was great concern about conserving water for sugar irrigation purposes and disinterest in timbering, partly because it demanded labor at a time when labor was short.