Ohia tree disease spreading at rapid pace, survey reveals

1/2

Swipe or click to see more

UH CTAHR

Brown leaves that still cling to their branches are among the symptoms of rapid ohia death, a disease that is spreading more quickly than previously anticipated. This photo and the one below are from a video provided by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

2/2

Swipe or click to see more

UH CTAHR

Black streaking can be seen in the layer of bark called the cambium of a tree infected with rapid ohia death.

Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.

Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.

Get unlimited access

From as low as $12.95 /mo.

Subscribe Now

A fungal infestation that has killed vast stands of native ohia trees on Hawaii island is attacking at a faster-than-anticipated pace, according to government officials.

The latest survey, conducted from Jan. 11-15, indicates some 34,000 acres of ohia forest have been infested by the newly identified disease that officials are calling rapid ohia death — a jump from 15,000 acres estimated in 2014, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The survey covered 810,000 acres, about two-thirds of the island’s ohia forests.

“Unfortunately, rapid ohia death is spreading much quicker than we had hoped,” said Flint Hughes, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service.

Ohia forests cover about 865,000 acres statewide, and the trees are considered a keystone species in Hawaii’s watershed, providing habitat for many native plants and animals. The tree is also significant in Hawaiian culture. Its lehua blossom is used as a lei adornment and serves as a subject in Native Hawaiian lore, songs and hula.

Philipp La Haela Walter, a state resource and survey forester for the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife, said the survey may have detected rapid ohia death in the Kohala area for the first time, and one of the next steps will be for researchers to conduct ground surveys to verify its presence.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park said it learned about a week and a half ago that the fungus had been found recently in ohia trees in the park area in Kau.

Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said park workers are helping conduct surveys and research.

“We are doing everything in our power,” Orlando said. “We are very concerned about the impacts to our cherished ohia.”

Hughes said aerial surveyors saw ohia trees with no leaves or brown leaves, likely affected by the disease. Surveyors also spotted dead trees that may have wilted, in part, due to drought conditions or volcanic emissions.

Officials said ground surveys will help to gather information to pinpoint the causes of the tree deaths.

Scientist hope they’ll be able to identify and reduce the means by which the fungus is spreading.

State forestry officials said the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s ongoing moratorium on the transport and shipment of ohia plants and parts is helping curb the spread, and they’re continuing to ask for the public’s cooperation in halting the fast-killing fungus.