ʻŌhiʻa
How to Help
We all have a part to play in helping to prevent the spread of ROD
If you see an ʻōhiʻa tree whose entire crown or major limb has turned brown within a few days or weeks on neighboring islands, please contact your local Invasive Species Committee:
Kauaʻi
808-821-1490 (kisc@hawaii.edu),
Oʻahu
808-266-7994 (oisc@hawaii.edu),
Molokaʻi
808-553-5236 ext. 6585 (lbuchanan@tnc.org),
Maui
808-573-6472 (miscpr@hawaii.edu).
Please include a photo and description in all email correspondence.
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Avoid injurying ʻōhiʻa.
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Don't move ʻōhiʻa wood or ʻōhiʻa parts.
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Don't transport ʻōhiʻa inter-island.
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Equipment used to cut an infected tree should be cleaned of all sawdust and debris and sprayed with 70% isopropyl or ethyl alcohol.
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Clothing should be washed with hot water and detergent.
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Wash the tires and undercarriage of your vehicle to remove all soil or mud.
Clean gear and tools, including shoes and clothes, before and after entering forests.
Stay informed
A recent study, authored by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit at University of Hawaiʻi Hilo, showed that native ʻōhiʻa seedlings can survive for at least a year in areas that have active mortality from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. (7)
“We found that ʻōhiʻa seedlings planted into a forest heavily affected by ROD have a high probability of survival for the first year,” said Stephanie Yelenik, an ecologist with the USGS and lead author of the study.. “While that one-year survival of seedlings is great news, this species lives centuries and there's currently no treatment once the tree becomes infected. Because ʻōhiʻa grow slowly, a dead tree is a gap in the canopy for a long time, and one of Hawai‘i’s many quick-growing invaders can take over the gaps caused by dead trees.”...Yelenik cautioned that longer-term studies of ʻōhiʻa seedling survival in ROD-affected forests are still needed, but these early results demonstrate that active planting could successfully help maintain native ʻōhiʻa forests. Survival of ʻōhiʻa seedlings in ROD-affected forests is good news, but the author noted that “protecting ʻōhiʻa from infection remains the primary tool in the fight against ROD.” (8)