Is anybody replacing their ohias?

[Justin]

Several years ago, when ROD was just taking off, I had just purchased two acres of mostly pristine Ohia and uluhe in Leilani, adjacent to the lot with my house. As soon as I started seeing some of the Ohia get sick, I planted 15 or so Mahogany trees (4 different species) in areas where there was the most damage. I picked those because they are hardwoods (so less brittle in windstorms), and also that they don't have any low branches, so I could put them closer to walking paths. So far, they've grown very fast, and have provided some canopy where otherwise there would be none. Because they are close to paths, if I ever wanted to cut them down (for whatever reason), I could. I also checked to ensure that they won't proliferate, and only the "Toona" mahogany appears to be at risk of being invasive, so I didn't purchase any of that variety.

The mix of the Mahoganys and the remaining Ohias looks fairly natural, at least to me. Future Forests Nursery on the Kona side grows keikis that you can order. I hope this helps.