03-19-2015, 05:26 PM
I attended a presentation by JB Friday in Leilani tonight, and it was very informative, but also showed that everyone involved is just at the tip of the iceberg. The folks involved now believe that what is causing the wilt is a fungus, Ceratocystis. It is unclear what specific species of Ceratocystis it is, or if it is a new species. In the last year people have done a substantial amount of research and testing in order to determine the cause of the problem we are all experiencing - that is the good news.
The bad news is that this meeting reminded me of scenes from "And The Band Played On" (about the outbreak of AIDS in the early 1980s in San Francisco) and "Contagion" (about a fictitious disease spreading around the globe). There is no rhyme or reason - at least none discerned as of yet - as to which trees get infected. Old and young are both affected. Healthy and distressed are both affected. While many of the most impacted areas are along the East Rift Zone, the range of infected areas has expanded almost geometrically over the past 2 years. It is unclear what passes on the fungus - insects, soil, humans (via cutting tools or bulldozers). It is unclear why some trees in a stand survive while others do not.
My two cents - and it is only my two cents - is that by the time all of the potential causes, effects, and transmission details are figured out, a vast array of our forests will be decimated. Frankly, given how rapid the fungus kills off the trees, and how long it will take to figure out the problem and solution (assuming there even is a solution), my personal take is that we'd be better off spending our time and resources on developing new plant strains and alternatives to Ohia. According to JB, as of yet the fungus has not been found in ANY Metrosideros species besides polymorpha (which is the Ohia). So my take - and it's only mine - is that we could greatly benefit from research and development on hybrids between polymorpha and other Ohia species, much like farmers have been doing for years with citrus plants and ornamental plants.
I hate to be so negative, but I didn't glean many positives from the meeting tonight, informative and well-intentioned as it was.
The bad news is that this meeting reminded me of scenes from "And The Band Played On" (about the outbreak of AIDS in the early 1980s in San Francisco) and "Contagion" (about a fictitious disease spreading around the globe). There is no rhyme or reason - at least none discerned as of yet - as to which trees get infected. Old and young are both affected. Healthy and distressed are both affected. While many of the most impacted areas are along the East Rift Zone, the range of infected areas has expanded almost geometrically over the past 2 years. It is unclear what passes on the fungus - insects, soil, humans (via cutting tools or bulldozers). It is unclear why some trees in a stand survive while others do not.
My two cents - and it is only my two cents - is that by the time all of the potential causes, effects, and transmission details are figured out, a vast array of our forests will be decimated. Frankly, given how rapid the fungus kills off the trees, and how long it will take to figure out the problem and solution (assuming there even is a solution), my personal take is that we'd be better off spending our time and resources on developing new plant strains and alternatives to Ohia. According to JB, as of yet the fungus has not been found in ANY Metrosideros species besides polymorpha (which is the Ohia). So my take - and it's only mine - is that we could greatly benefit from research and development on hybrids between polymorpha and other Ohia species, much like farmers have been doing for years with citrus plants and ornamental plants.
I hate to be so negative, but I didn't glean many positives from the meeting tonight, informative and well-intentioned as it was.
Leilani Estates, 2011 to Present