Stop the Spread of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death’

The Merrie Monarch Festival is ongoing in the State of Hawaii. HTA warns visitors about the spread of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death disease.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority today alerted visitors to be aware of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Agriculture travel alert to prevent the spread of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) as travelers head to Hawaiʻi Island this week for the Merrie Monarch Festival.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is a non-profit organization that honors the legacy of King David Kalākaua, who inspired the perpetuation.

Quarantine restrictions on transporting ʻōhiʻa plants (including flowers, seeds, wood, or soil from infected areas) off-island are still in place.

The warning says: “We strongly advise all travelers to refrain from taking any ʻōhiʻa to help stop the spread of this devastating disease.”

Hawaii Tourism Authority added: “As an organization committed to protecting the natural resources of Hawaiʻi, we support efforts to protect our endemic plants and native forests. We encourage everyone to be diligent, share this information, and do their part.

Ōhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha), the most abundant native tree in the state of Hawaiʻi, is dying from a new fungal disease. On Hawaiʻi Island, over a million ʻōhiʻa have already died from this fungus, called Ceratocystis. Healthy trees appear to die within a few days to a few weeks, which is how the disease came to be called “Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death.” This disease has killed trees in all districts of Hawaiʻi Island and has the potential to kill ʻōhiʻa trees statewide.

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death disease has been found on the Islands of Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, Maui, and Oʻahu. Both Hawaiʻi Island and Kauaʻi have confirmed Ceratocystis lukuohia (destroyer of ʻōhiʻa) and Ceratocystis huliohia (disruptor of ʻōhiʻa), the two fungal pathogens causing ROD. While C. lukuohia is a more aggressive fungus than C. huliohia, either species will kill ʻōhiʻa. In July 2019, a single tree infected by C. huliohia was detected on Maui and 5 trees was also detected with C. huliohia on Oʻahu. The tree on Maui was destroyed and there have been no positive ROD detections since.

To learn more about Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death and how you can kōkua to prevent its spread, visit www.RapidOhiaDeath.org.