Ohia trees are dying rapidly, Why?

[Guest]

Thank you for all your posts back.. We have watched this event very closely for 4 years now, At first we thought must be Geothermal. Possible Fracking since we live 3 miles from the plant. The 120 year old trees started to die first between tangerine acres to Sanfords cinder pits towards Kalapana. Only after a couple years we then noticed the same burn in areas as far as Kapoho, Seaview, even now Paradise Park and Hawaiian acres. So time has started to change our minds on what could be causing the dieback. Previous diebacks 50"s and 70"s were after eruptions on the east rift zone, And this past 3 to 5 years have been active with the fires and lava. The way the trees will burn from top to bottom, or simply fry orange within a month made us think about air problems more than ground? Pulling up some recent area pictures of the Puna coast, we could not believe how much land had been ripped and dozed. Mostly lower Puna, from Hawaiaan Beaches, to Kapoho, Poihiki, along the coast to Seaview. Looks like hundreds if not thousands of acres of new PAPAYA. Geothermal looks small in comparison to the papaya in there back yard. When we have variable winds do these papaya farmers not spray? What would they be spraying? Looks like agent orange the way they are suited for space. Made us think about there upward spray and how it could become airborne. Run off during hard rains in Kapoho, of these hundreds of acres, could it be hazardous to marine life? Anyway sorry for the deep concern and somewhat radicle thinking. go easy and we would appreciate any other perspectives.