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Research informs the efforts to stop Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD)

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

ʻŌhiʻa are a keystone species in Hawai’i and are found nowhere else in the world.

ʻŌhiʻa are the pioneers – the first trees to grow on bare lava. ʻŌhiʻa are also adaptable – they grow from sea level to tree line. ʻŌhiʻa are critical in capturing fresh water, supporting threatened and endangered species, and maintaining traditional cultural practices like hula. But these remarkable trees are at risk from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD), a disease that kills ʻōhiʻa trees. ROD has killed over one million ʻōhiʻa across Hawaiʻi Island. Diseased trees have been found on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Maui. Already, hula hālau are staying out of the forests to protect ʻōhiʻa.

Since 2014, a team of highly dedicated scientists – ecologists, plant pathologists, geographers, and foresters – have been studying the origin, impact, and spread of the two newly identified species of fungus that cause Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD): Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia. Ceratocystis is a common – and sometimes devastating – plant pathogen, but these two species of Ceratocystis are new to science and new to Hawaiʻi.

Researchers Flint Hughes of the USDA Forest Service, Ryan Perroy of UH Hilo, Greg Asner of Arizona State, and others are using a combination of remote-sensing and field observations to gauge ʻōhiʻa death across Hawaiʻi Island. They have found that more trees are killed by ROD in areas where non-native hooved animals are present when compared to areas protected from those animals.

Invasive animals wound the bark of ʻōhiʻa, creating an entry point for the fungus. Damage from goats, sheep, and cattle is obvious – bark is missing. But the team also observed higher numbers of ROD-killed trees in forests with high pig populations. It is possible that pigs are damaging the roots of the trees opening it up for infection.

In a greenhouse study, pathologist Marc Hughes of the University of Hawaiʻi and the USDA Forest Service mulched potted ʻōhiʻa seedlings with sawdust made from infected trees containing Ceratocystis. The trees were healthy until Hughes cut some of the roots with a knife. Those trees then died, indicating that injuries to roots can also create opportunities for the fungus to infect trees. 

“Wounds can only be infected for a short time. Once they dry out the fungus can no longer infect them. So protecting a forest helps, even if it has some ROD now” says J. B. Friday, extension forester with the University of Hawaiʻi Cooperative Extension Service.

Protecting the forests also helps ensure seedling survival. Ecologist Stephanie Yelenik of the USGS conducted experiments looking at what happens to ʻōhiʻa seedlings under ROD-affected trees, in plots where invasive plants and animals were removed and in plots where the pests remained. As seedlings died, researchers tested them for the presence of ROD – no sign of the pathogen was present. Seedlings were six times more likely to die in plots where invasive species were left unchecked. Invasive plants and animals posed a greater threat to the seedlings than ROD did during the study. 

The first step in addressing ROD on Maui is to prevent it from arriving. HDOA has established a quarantine on the movement of ʻōhiʻa trees and plant parts from Hawaiʻi Island to other areas in the state. Hikers should brush off soil and clean boots or shoes with rubbing alcohol to remove any ROD-contaminated soil when traveling between islands. 

  • Indiciations of ROD infection include a branch or tree dying quickly – within weeks.
  • The Ceratocytis fungus responsible for killing ʻōhiʻa across 15,000 acres on Hawaii Island can be seen as a dark staining in the sapwood. Photo by J.B. Friday
  • The Ceratocytis fungus spreads throughout the sapwood or vascular system of the ʻōhiʻa, eventually strangling the tree. The dark staining in this cross-section of an ohia is a symptom of infection by the Ceratocytis fungus. Photo by J.B. Friday

Early detection, finding trees affected with ROD before the disease is widespread, is also key to protecting our ʻōhiʻa. Key signs include leaves that rapidly turning brown and appear frozen in place. On Maui, the only known ROD-affected tree was reported by an alert resident in Hāna. The tree has since been destroyed. The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources surveys our ʻōhiʻa forests looking for symptomatic trees. Conservation crews and Maui residents can report ʻōhiʻa trees that appear to have died quickly. To date, residents have reported fourteen suspect trees over the last year. Though ʻōhiʻa die for many reasons, including drought, injuries from mowers or yard equipment, and herbicide, reporting is essential to finding ROD-damaged trees early. Fortunately, aside from the one tree, all other samples collected from Maui have tested negative for ROD. 

Help protect our ʻōhiʻa forests from rapid ʻōhiʻa death: Support watershed protection efforts to remove invasive plants and animals. Respect the inter-island quarantine. Keep reporting suspect ʻōhiʻa trees on Maui to MISC (573-6472) or through 643PEST.org. Join the ʻŌhiʻa Love Festival, November 16-21st. Sign up for the virtual event through rapidohiadeath.org.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on November 10, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Filed Under: Home Slider, Kia'i Moku Column, MISC Target Species Tagged With: 2020, Rapid Ohia Death on Maui, research, rod

Turn Off Lights at Night to Help Protect Seabirds From Invasive Predators

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Lissa Strohecker

Like many seabirds in Hawai’i, wedge-tailed shearwaters, ʻuaʻu kani, nest on the ground in rock crevices or in burrow. Once this chick’s adult feathers grow in, he will leave his burrow at night, navigating by the moon and stars. Artificial light can disorient young birds. Photo by Forest & Kim Starr.

 “At one time there were so many seabirds in Hawaiʻi they blackened the sky” says Jay Penniman, manager of the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project.

Seabirds have been in Hawaiʻi for a long time, first arriving around 70 million years ago.  The earliest colonists nested on what’s now known as the Emperor Seamount, the northwestern-point of the archipelago that has since eroded below sea level. These ancestral residents mated and reared their young, leaving behind nutrient-rich guano – seabird poop – that helped create soils. Guano nourished and promoted the growth of coral reefs, helping to develop a healthy marine ecosystem.  Seeds of flowering plants arrived, sometimes carried in the feathers of the seabirds themselves, and the life on the Hawaiian Islands continued to develop.

As new islands emerged, seabirds continued to colonize them. Some species burrowed into cinder atop Haleakalā, others into dunes and the sandy soil along the coastline,  still others in the dense tangle of uluhe fern in the rainforest. Isolation led to the evolution of unique species found nowhere else in the world. Clouds of seabirds helped lead Polynesian navigators to Hawaiʻi.

Once numbering in the milions, seabird populations today are a mere fraction of that. Seabirds nest in burrows, on the ground, or in the branches of low shrubs. After invasive predators  – cats, rats, and dogs – began to roam the islands,  the adults, young, and eggs too often became lunch or worse—killed for play. Young birds that survive to leave their nest face a different threat: artificial lighting.

For millennia, the night sky was lit only by the moon and stars.  Fledgling seabirds would leave their burrows after sunset and navigate to sea using the reflection of the moon and starlight on water.  Young birds remain at sea for four to five years until they return home to mate and raise their young.

Now, every fall, young seabirds fledge into an illuminated world. Man-made lighting shines into the night from streett lamps, porches, and stadiums, confuseing the inexperienced birds. They may circle for hours until they fall from the sky exhausted. Blueish-hued lights are particularly disorientating. For millennia, the light in the cooler blue wavelength meant schools of myctophids (lantern fish), the bioluminescent prey for the fledgling birds.

Seabirds played a crucial role in the natural history of the Hawaiian Islands, bringing seeds and nutrients that supported the colonization of life on and near the isolated islands. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr.

Penniman and his team work to tell local residents about the seabirds and respond to reports of downed birds during the fall-out season. One year he was at the Maui Raceway, picking up an petrel, that had crash-landed in the back of a pickup truck. As he gathered up the first bird, bystanders saw another one circling lower and lower. “It fell right at my feet,” says Penniman.  “The bird was panting and its heart was racing.” Though able to wing across thousand of miles of ocean, the fledglings are exhausted and unable to move, making them easy prey for predators and at risk from passing cars.

Recovered birds typically spend the night in a pet carrier, then researchers weigh the bird and place a numbered metal band on its leg. In the light of day, they release the birds at the shore, where they fly out over the ocean to safety. Penniman has been working with these birds for 15 years. Those bands can help tell a happy ending: heʻs seen rescued fledglings return as adults, wise now to the distraction of man-made lights.

  • Cecelia “Cece” Frisinger lets a young ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel) fly out to sea.
  • Cheryl King releases an ‘ua‘u (Hawaiian petrel)
Young seabirds are confused by bright lights and circle them until exhausted. When they fall from the sky, they are vulnerable to predators and cars. If you find a seabird on the ground, call 573-BIRD (2473) and the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project will pick it up and keep it safe while it rests. The next day the bird will be released to fly safely to the ocean. — Photos courtesy of Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project

You can help. If you find a seabird, call 573-BIRD (2473) and someone from the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project will come to pick it up. Always keep pets contained and away from seabird colonies.  Also, check your lighting. Penniman recommends the following to prevent outside lights from distracting fledging seabirds:

  • Lessen the intensity — use the minimum brightness necessary, measured in lumens,
  • Turn it off — use lights only when needed and consider installing a motion detector,
  • Point light down, away from the sky.  Shields can direct light towards the ground where it’s needed most
  • Use warmer temperature, long-wavelength light, above 550nm.

Learn more about seabirds and the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project at mauinuiseabirds.org.

Lissa Strohecker is the public relations and education specialist for the Maui Invasive Species Committee. She holds a biological sciences degree from Montana State University. Kia’i Moku, “Guarding the Island,” is prepared by the Maui Invasive Species Committee to provide information on protecting the island from invasive plants and animals that can threaten the island’s environment, economy, and quality of life.

This article was originally published in the Maui News on December 12, 2020 as part of the Kia‘i Moku Column from the Maui Invasive Species Committee.

Read more Kiaʻi Moku articles

Filed Under: Home Slider, Kia'i Moku Column Tagged With: 2020, artificial lights, found seabird on ground, predators and seabirds, seabirds

Mark Blietz Receives 2020 Mālama i ka ʻĀina Award

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Lissa Strohecker

Mark Blietz, owner of Northshore Tropicals in Haʻikū, is the 2020 recipient of the Mālama i ka ʻĀina. The award is given each year to recognize the efforts of individuals in the landscape and agricultural community towards stopping the spread of invasive species in Maui County. The award is presented by the Maui Invasive Species Committee, the Maui Association of Landscape Professionals, and the County of Maui.

Blietz is a well-known nursery owner who has led by example throughout his career, both in the landscaping community and throughout Maui. He and his family have been in the nursery business for over 30 years and throughout that time, he has been active locally in the Maui Orchid Society and nationally as a judge in the American Orchid Society. Blietz has been proactive in dealing with invasive species and urges others to do the same. When the stinging nettle caterpillar arrived to Maui in 2008, he started controlling it around his nursery himself to keep from spreading it – he continues to control invasive species, currently working to keep coqui and ivy gourd out of his nursery.

But it was his generosity over the last year that led to his nomination for the award. The Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) needed temporary storage and facilities to keep their crews working after they lost access to the facility they had been in for over a decade. Blietz shared his property and barn, keeping MISC operational until a new baseyard became available. “Mark saved the day for MISC…MISC couldn’t have kept working to protect Maui County from invasive species without his help” said Adam Radford, MISC Manager, in acknowledgement of Blietz’s efforts.

In accepting the award, Blietz encouraged community action. “There’s so much that we, as stewards of the land, can do to protect our ʻāina from invasive species. Simply being able to identify them and letting them [MISC] know” he said.

Mark Blietz, recipient of 2020 Mālama i ka ʻĀina Award, pictured at his Haʻikū nursery.


Due to Covid-19, the award was presented In a small, socially distanced award ceremony in Haʻikū. The presenters included Makaleʻa Ane, Resilience Officer with the County of Maui, Allison Wright, President of the Maui Association of Landscape Professionals, and Adam Radford, Manager of the Maui Invasive Species Committee. This year’s commemorative plaque featured a sculpture of an ʻiliahi branch (the native sandalwood) by glass artist Jupiter Nielsen.

Filed Under: Malama i ka Aina Award, Press Release Tagged With: 2020, county of maui, malama i ka aina award, malama i ka aina winner, Mark Blietz, maui association of landscape professionals, Northshore Tropicals

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Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC)
Office: (808) 573-6472
Press and Media Inquiries: (808) 344-2756
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PO Box 983, Makawao, HI 96768

Acting Manager / Public Relations: Lissa Strohecker
E-mail: miscpr@hawaii.edu

Special Projects: Teya Penniman
E-mail: miscmgr@hawaii.edu

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