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How do native Hawaiian forests function over the long-term? That is the critical question we hope to answer with the Hawaii Permanent Plot Network (HIPPNET). HIPPNET will utilize the spectacular climate, elevation, and substrate age gradients found in Hawaii to develop a unique set of permanent research sites. The data collected through coordinated projects carried out at the HIPPNET sites will enable the University of Hawaii and collaborators to become leaders in numerous important areas of ecology. We plan to begin the network with 5 permanent plots of native dominated forest, 4 ha in area, on the Big Island (montane wet, lowland wet, mesic, lowland dry, and subalpine forests), and to extend plots to other islands as funding is acquired. Permanent plots will be established following widely used protocols developed for tropical and temperate forests. These sites will have all woody plants tagged and mapped. The forest plots will be re-censused every 3-5 years along with continuous climate data to understand forest dynamics. Additionally, we propose to designate and monitor adjacent land areas of invasive dominated forest to understand how invasive species alter these dynamics. Two of the plots will be located on the newly established Hawaii Experimental Tropical Forest (HETF).