Ohia trees are dying rapidly, Why?

[pbmaise]

Gypsy let's stick to main question I posed.

Could a root fungus be attacking the Ohia?

Researching I already posted the 1972 report on possibly the shoestring root-rot (Armillaria mellea) in Ohia.

Today I found another variety called Armillaria gallicia.

This is from 2010 report.

Armillaria gallicia is an opportunistic pathogen, or an aggressive pathogen. A recent study suggests that A. gallica can be highly pathogenic in some areas of the eastern United States and it is an important component of forest decline (2), especially under increasing stressors such as climate change. The isolation of A. gallica from declining stands on both introduced and endemic hosts under drought conditions suggests this pathogen is a contributing factor to forest decline on the island of Hawaii.

This came from a scientific journal that dates 2010. The article recorded the first observation of this fungus In Hawaii. Samples were taken on Big Island.

Added reference
Editor-in-Chief: R. Michael Davis
Published by The American Phytopathological Society
December 2010,
Volume 94, Number 12 Page 1510
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-04-10-0266
First Report of an Armillaria Root Disease Pathogen, Armillaria gallica, Associated with Several New Hosts in Hawaii
M.-S. Kim, Department of Forestry, Environment, and Systems, Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea 136-702;
and J. W. Hanna and N. B. Klopfenstein, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 1221 South Main, Moscow, ID 83843