Dead Guavas along Hwy 130

[Leslie1958]

Does anyone know why the guava trees are dying around Hey 130 between Pahoa & Black Sands?

Leslie N Worthington

[Carey]

Leslie, they are dying because of the residual steam from the 2019 eruption.
During that eruption, most of the trees from Pahoa HS down to Opihikao Rd were looking pretty dead.

[Leslie1958]

I am aware of the steam vent area but I am now noticing the outward spread of dying Guavas. I drive this road 2-3 times a week and have seen the death spreading steadily over the last few months. It was just around the steam vents but now the Guavas are dying from Hawaiian Sanctuary to Opihikao. Just wondering what's up.

[Obie]

"Though it yields fruit and wood, strawberry guava is one of the most serious threats facing Hawaii's native forests."

https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/topics/biocont...uava.shtml

[Leslie1958]

I know strawberry Guavas are invasive & it's good to get rid of them, but what is killing them? Is it insect, human, or natural causes? Or is the ground heating up? Many more cracks on Hwy 130 and side of the road at Scenic turnout is falling downhill. Just wondering.

[Guest]

One has to wonder if the dieback is caused by efforts to biologically control guava?

I have not stayed in touch with this program so I am a bit behind the curve, but a bit of poking around on the net should shed more light than I am here..

Try reading: FINAL EA POSTED FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF INVASIVE STRAWBERRY GUAVA

https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/blog/news-releas...rry-guava/

Which in part says..

The final environmental assessment (EA) allowing the release of a biological control for the invasive strawberry guava was published today by the Department of Health’s Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC). Strawberry guava is a non-native plant that is invading and threatening Hawaii’s native forests and has already overtaken hundreds of thousands of acres in Hawaii.

The U.S. Forest Service has been testing potential natural control insects for strawberry guava for more than 15 years and has determined that the Tectococcus ovatus (T. ovatus), a small scale insect, provides natural control of the strawberry guava and will not harm any other native or beneficial plants or insects. Even with the release of the biological control insect, strawberry guava will still be able to grow, but will be naturally controlled and will be less invasive to the forest. The insect does not harm other plants, even those closely related like the common guava. The full EA may be found at the OEQC website at: oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/

“This action needs to be taken,” said Russell S. Kokubun, Chairperson of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. “The native forest cannot protect itself from invasive strawberry guava and while most people are not able to see how bad it is, survey maps show the massive damage the forests have already suffered due to this invasive plant. Saving the native forest ecosystem is far more important in terms of protecting unique resources for future generations,” Kokubun added...

See link above for the entire article.

There is also this article..

Strawberry Guava Biocontrol, Restoring natural balance to Hawaii's forests and watersheds with the help of a bug

At: http://www.hear.org/strawberryguavabiocontrol/

Which appears to have a bunch of information, links to more..

[kalakoa]

After 30 days of the OEQC notice, HDOA plans to do an initial release at one site on Hawai`i Island where progress will be monitored by the US Forest Service and individuals may be able to see the results.  Subsequent releases will follow.

Notice how they carefully avoid mentioning exactly where this might be.

[Obie]

The heat is spreading out from the fissures.

Although not currently erupting, areas of persistently elevated ground temperatures and minor release of gases are still found in the vicinity of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone fissures. These include steam (water), very small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide. These conditions are expected to be long-term. Similar conditions following the 1955 eruption continued for years to decades.

[Guest]

Although not currently erupting, areas of persistently elevated ground temperatures and minor release of gases are still found in the vicinity of the 2018 lower East Rift Zone fissures.

All the years we worked with the lava flows that went through the waiawi (strawberry guava) forest at the western end of the Upper Puna Rd, (mauka road through Black Sands) on the other side of the old Campbell wood chip area, where flow after flow went through and saturated the forest left to either side with extended exposure to gas and heat, for up to a year and more at a time, I never noticed that waiawi was adversely effected. That was before any attempt at biological control.

If the Brazilian scale were applied to the stands now dying back, and since they themselves do not kill the tree outright but weaken it in the hopes that other things do, I can imagine a scenario where the plant was weakened and then died back when further stressed by the gas and heat?

I like the idea of working cooperatively with other biological forms rather than our more destructive methods of achieving our goals. Arthur C. Clarke explored that idea in his Rama Series. Good read, if you like sci-fi with a taste of imagining what could be.

[Obie]

"All the years we worked with the lava flows that went through the waiawi (strawberry guava) forest at the western end of the Upper Puna Rd,"

Different much more voluminous lava flow over a much shorter time period.

Live and learn.

My Dad