Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) is a fungal disease rapidly killing forests of ʻōhiʻa—the most abundant native tree in the Hawaiian Islands. Initially reported by landowners in Puna in 2010, ROD spread quickly across tens of thousands of acres on Hawaii Island:[1][2] to date, hundreds of thousands of ʻōhiʻa have died from this fungal disease on Hawaii Island alone.[3] In April 2018, the cause of Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death was identified as two species of Ceratocystis previously unknown to science: Ceratocystis huliohia and Ceratocystis lukuohia.[4] By May 2018, infected ʻōhiʻa trees were found on the island of Kauai, prompting requests that members of the public limit transportation of ʻōhiʻa products within the island.[5] The less aggressive of the two fungus species, C. huliohia, has been confirmed on Hawaii Island, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu.[3] According to experts, the fungus is likely to have been carried between the islands by tourists, on their shoes or hiking boots, but it can also be transmitted by dirty tools, animals or through the wind.[6]

ʻŌhiʻa lehua flowers

In 2019 a documentary titled Saving ʻŌhiʻ’a: Hawaii's Sacred Tree, produced by Club Sullivan and funded by a grant from the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, was released, providing an in-depth look into the cultural and ecological importance of ʻōhiʻa and the impact of the ROD epidemic. The film was nominated for six Emmys and received three awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter.[7]

In 2020, the Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Working Group released a "Strategic Response Plan for 2020-2024" laying out management, research, and public engagement priorities to contain the disease and calling for $4 million a year in funding over the next five years to “continue progress toward understanding and addressing the fungal disease that has seriously impacted Hawaii’s native forests.”[8]