02-04-2016, 04:18 PM
I gotta save this one Gyp.
quote:
Originally posted by gypsy69
PTed, mahalo for the update and time taken on this community concern of ours(ROD). Couple things I need to share with you though about the spread of this fungus.
For the first few years that this (ROD) was spreading it was only in a few areas of puna. I literally drove around lower puna with my better half many times specifically looking for this ohia die-off. We remember seeing it only in certain areas, we then saw it spreading from those areas to other areas.
If you would imagine siting in your car at the y intersection for example, just above the geothermal, facing four corners light house direction. At one time The (rod) was nowhere to be seen or found on that (nanawale side)left side of the road in that kapoho direction your looking towards. Yet it was just above the geothermal in lower leilani on the power line road, it was also first noticed near the steam vent and Sanford's cinder pit on the upper highway to kalapana. A couple years past before we ever noticed the wilt below the geothermal in areas like the Yakuza or kapoho ohia tree stands, or on the nanawale side.
The trade wind patterns at the time seemed to go back and forth from lighthouse or Wawa to leilani and on up the top of opihikao (during the days), Then at night the trades would switch in reverse order. The bigger or larger Ohia (120 year old stands) on that trade wind pattern seemed to show signs and die-off first. Then a couple years later when the obvious spreading took hold the smaller less established ohia trees started to die as well. The smaller ohia in the kapoho lava flows below geothermal started showing signs a couple years after lower leilani.
Anyway on a different note, since we are still learning things from this (ROD). The actual frying of the tree when it dies can happen in only a few weeks, Yet the dead ohia trees stump included take roughly 8-10 years to break down completely naturally. Just mentioning that because many of us may have dead ohia in our yards that we may have purposely left in hopes they would grow back. I have yet to see a( rod )infected ohia tree die-off, then regrow again into a healthy ohia.
P.S. Geothermal and its under ground(leaking) production well or wells is just a couple hundred yards below or (Upwind) from ground zero of this (rod) disease (leilani). The heavier gasses and timely rain showers after midnight in lower leilani have not been nearly as noticeable( yet not forgettable) now that the new production well has been drilled. All just my opinion and thoughts to the different Possibilities that may have started this environmental disaster, Mahalo for caring.