#Ohia trees

Federal and university researchers released a new study that provides “encouragement and guidance” for land managers to reestablish native ʻōhiʻa trees wiped out by a fungal disease or impacted by volcanic activity and wild fires.

The spread of a fungal disease killing off hundreds of thousands of mature ‘ōhi‘a trees on Hawai‘i Island could be exacerbated by the presence of animals with hooves, according to a new collaborative study led by a geographer at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo.

Hilo’s annual ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest will be celebrating its fourth year virtually from Monday, Nov. 16 through Saturday, Nov. 21st. The week-long virtual event will celebrate Hawai‘i’s most ecologically and culturally important tree species, ‘ōhi‘a lehua.

The rule amendment becomes effective on May 15, 2020 and was established to prevent the introduction of new strains of a fungus and other pests and diseases that threaten ʻōhiʻa trees, native forests and watersheds, and also horticultural and agricultural industries.