HILO >> Researchers have developed a portable lab they can use in Hawaii forests to diagnose trees that are being killed off by a fungus.

State and federal researchers worked together to invent the portable lab, the size of a suitcase, which runs off a battery and takes about 90 minutes to extract DNA from samples and produce test results, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Thursday.

The fungus that causes a condition known as rapid ohia death was discovered in 2014 on the Big Island. It has not spread to other islands.

Researchers started developing the portable testing unit about a year ago because they were forced to take samples gathered in the forests to a laboratory for testing.

Each testing unit costs about $8,000, but that is less than the cost of equipment in a traditional laboratory, said Carter Atkinson, a molecular biologist at the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will use a portable lab to test ohia logs shipped elsewhere to ensure they do not have the fungus.

Charity walk on Maui expects 3,000

Maui’s annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk will be held this morning at the War Memorial Soccer Field.

The walk, sponsored by the Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, will be from 7 to 10 a.m. and is expected to attract some 3,000 participants. The event will also feature food, prizes and entertainment.

Last year the walk raised $1,095,455 for 101 Maui County charities.