Archives for July 2021

Send photos and locations of symptomatic ʻōhiʻa:  CLICK HERE TO REPORT!

ROD Symptoms in ʻōhiʻa trees = brown leaves attached

Slideshow of symptomatic ʻōhiʻa trees. These symptoms can be caused by a variety of issues. ROD can only be confirmed by a lab test of the wood.

Healthy ʻŌhiʻa 

Slideshow of healthy ʻōhiʻa trees

A large, healthy ʻōhiʻa

A very old, & healthy ʻōhiʻa

Healthy ʻōhiʻa

Healthy ʻōhiʻa

Red ʻōhiʻa blossoms are the most common.

Yellow ʻōhiʻa blossoms are called “lehua mamo”

ʻōhiʻa blossoms can be red, yellow or this salmon color.

Healthy ʻōhiʻa with its trademark silhouette

Healthy ʻōhiʻa with its trademark silhouette

Healthy ʻōhiʻa with its trademark silhouette

Healthy ʻōhiʻa

ʻŌhiʻa are a pioneer species, one of the first to grow on recent lava flow. Their roots break up the lava rock, creating space and soil for other plants to germinate…creating new forests.

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) Detections on Oʻahu (as of June 2021) CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED MAP

Eight (8) trees have tested positive for the less aggressive ROD fungus, Ceratocystis huliohia.

356 ʻōhiʻa trees have been sampled to test for the presence of ROD.

There have been no detections of the very aggressive species, Ceratocystis lukuohia.

What Should You Do To Prevent the Spread? 

Donʻt injure ʻōhiʻa trees.

Clean soil from shoes and tools and spray with 70% rubbing alcohol if can.

Don’t move ʻōhiʻa logs or plant parts.

Don’t transport ʻōhiʻa inter-island.

Wash any vehicles/bikes that have been off-road with high pressure hose.

What is ROD?

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) is a fungal pathogen new to science not ever seen before 2014. There are two (2) species of ROD:

1. Ceratocystis lukuohia – VERY aggressive and rapid death as occurs in as little as two weeks.
2. Ceratocystis huliohia – Less aggressive and death can take many months.

Quick Facts About ROD:

• Symptoms of ROD are dead or dying ʻōhiʻa trees with brown leaves still attached.
• Both species of ROD present the same symptoms: brown leaves on branches or entire tree.
• ROD fungus lived INSIDE the tree, you cannot see it on leaves, branches or flowers.
• ROD enters the ʻōhiʻa tree through a wound…do not injure ʻōhiʻa trees.
• If you see suspect ROD, send photos to OISC via email: oisc@hawaii.edu or text to: 808-286-4616.
• You can also always report using the free smartphone app: 643PEST

A variety of things can kill ʻōhiʻa trees and we canʻt know if itʻs ROD unless we get a sample of the wood from inside the tree. You cannot see ROD on leaves or branches…it grows inside the sapwood. This is where the tree moves water around. When the fungus plugs up the sapwood, no water can be moved and the leaves turn brown.

About ʻŌhiʻa

ʻŌhiʻa is the dominant canopy forest tree in the state with over 350 million trees across 800,000 on all the main Hawaiian islands. It is a keystone species, meaning itʻs integral to the ecosystem and the services they provide like clean water, water capture, as well as flood and erosion control. ʻŌhiʻa is also significant to Hawaiian culture and represented in numerous hula, moʻolelo, mele and oli. There are five species of ʻōhiʻa in Hawaiʻi. They are all endemic to our state, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world…and two of those five are endemic to Oʻahu island! You can see ʻōhiʻa in yards and in the forest.

For more details about ROD and ʻōhiʻa, visit: www.rapidohiadeath.org