Oahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC)

ROD – OʻAHU

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

ROD Symptoms in ʻōhiʻa trees = brown leaves attached

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Healthy ʻŌhiʻa 

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

  • Over 356 ʻōhiʻa trees have been sampled to test for the presence of ROD…
  • Only eight (8) trees have tested positive for the less aggressive ROD fungus, Ceratocystis huliohia.
  • There have been no detections of the very aggressive species, Ceratocystis lukuohia.

What Should You Do To Prevent the Spread? 

  • Don’t 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

Sick ohia trees? How to report suspected Ohia Wilt/Rapid Ohia Death

Rapid Ohia Death (ROD) was first detected in the Puna District on Big Island in 2010. It begins with wilting and yellowing leaves at the end of branches, then leaves on branches turn brown. Within days or a couple of weeks, the whole crown of the tree browns and dies with the dead leaves still attached.The fungus attacks the ohia tree vascular system and trees die so quickly that they retain their yellow/brown leaves.

The mortality rate for ROD infected trees is 100%, and research continues on how the fungus is spread and how to combat it. Currently, it is only known to be on Big Island and the Dept. of Agriculture has issued instructions on how to sample and submit specimens of suspect ROD trees on all islands.

For more information, photos, and maps, visit www.rapidohiadeath.org or www.facebook.com/RapidOhiaDeath 

_______________________________________________________________________________________  ROD Symptoms – ROD Brochure

Laboratory tests are necessary to verify the presence or absence of the fungus that caused ROD. There are a variety of things that can cause ohia trees to show symptoms of illness, from drought, old age and more. You can report sick or dying tree with the following symptoms.

  • Crowns of ‘ōhi‘a trees that appear healthy turn yellowish or brown within days to weeks; dead leaves remain on branches for some time.
  •  All ages of ‘ōhi‘a trees can be affected and can have symptoms of browning of branches and/or leaves.
  • If a tree with ROD is cut down, or a section of the tree is removed, the fungus shows up as dark staining in the sapwood along the outer edge, and there may be an over-ripe fruit-like odor.
  •  Trees within a given stand die in a haphazard pattern; the disease does not appear to radiate out directly from infected or dead trees.

 

Residents on Oahu can contact OISC at 266-7994 or email oisc@hawaii.edu.  Also, please take a photo (if can) of the suspect tree and note the precise location in the report.

Residents on Hawaii Island with questions regarding the disease should contact:

Dr. J.B. Friday

UH Cooperative Extension Service

Email: jbfriday@hawaii.edu

Phone: (808) 969-8254

 Dr. Flint Hughes

USDA Forest Service

Email: fhughes@fs.fed.us

Phone: (808) 854-2617

Dr. Lisa Keith

USDA  Agriculture Research Service

Email: Lisa.Keith@ars.usda.gov

Phone: (808) 959-4357

 

 

 

Contact Us

Oahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC)
Office: (808) 266-7994
Fax: (808) 266-7995

OISC Manager: Nate Dube
E-mail: oiscmgr@hawaii.edu
OISC Outreach Coordinator: Erin Bishop
E-mail: oisc@hawaii.edu

Pest Hotline: 808-643-PEST (7378)
Report a Pest Online