Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death

[1] Initially reported by landowners in Puna in 2010, ROD spread quickly across tens of thousands of acres of ʻŌhiʻa trees on the Hawaiian Islands.

[4] 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 via the wind.

[14] Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Strategic Response Plan: 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.

"[15] Within the response plan, researchers have developed a rapid molecular test that identifies the presence of the Ceratocystis pathogens within ʻŌhiʻa trees.

[15]  Researchers within the response plan have also developed effective sanitation techniques, such as, applying heat and vacuum-steam to infected materials, which have been shown to treat the pathogens.