Ohia trees are dying rapidly, Why?

[geochem]

Has anyone else noticed that every time this thread drops off the first page of threads, gypsy posts some new nonsensical, barely relevant comment or link? 1992 this time????

He's just trolling - please don't feed the trolls...

[Guest]

Bgileds, mahalo for your post. If indeed i understand you correctly and you have the ROD disease on your property(I hope not)? You should cut the infected branches or tree down, burn it, not haul it, clean your equipment, wash your cloths and boots, repeat every six months. Many reasons why ohia die including delayed bulldozer damage, so please make sure or confirm its the wilt.

P.S. To the Stockholders, thankyou very much for the added attention to help battle one of lower puna's serious current environmental crises,jmo. Sorry about the outdated article,Here is a more recent one that addresses concerns from those who live close.

http://hawaiifracking.com/geothermal-fra...in-hawaii/

[knieft]

quote:

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Originally posted by geochem

He's just trolling - please don't feed the trolls...

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Apparently most folks can't resist.

Cheers,
Kirt

[Guest]

The ROD is Still spreading with no end in sight.

http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/loc...a-and-hvnp

Doesn't look like a natural ohia die-off this time. Any idea to what could have caused or started this ohia wilt disease in this 20th century?.

[leilaniguy]

[quote]Originally posted by geochem

Has anyone else noticed that every time this thread drops off the first page of threads, gypsy posts some new nonsensical, barely relevant comment or link? 1992 this time????

He's just trolling - please don't feed the trolls...
[You mean like now?/quote]

[pahoated]

Not having gone down 132 to Kapoho in daylight for quite awhile, the giant stand of dead ohia at the end of the Nanawale forest reserve was startling. The weird part is it stops suddenly, at least a mile from PGV. That is what is more interesting. I was noticing how lush the vegetation was around PGV, the ohia around PGV are like plump tall bushes, full of flowers. There are all kinds of GMO papaya fields around PGV now and they seem to be thriving. Somebody has a beautiful horse farm that has several very healthy looking horses. That is what is so strange about that whole clump of dead ohia up the road in Nanawale forest reserve. It is a large area but very localized. This really looks some strain of the Australian fungus that was brought in somehow right in that area. It's almost like a radiation marker.

"Aloha also means goodbye. Aloha!"

[Guest]

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.

[Kapoho Joe]

quote:

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Originally posted by VancouverIslander

Pentane is a hydrocarbon, one carbon longer than Propane, one less than Hexane. It's a common constituent of Natural Gas Liquids (NGL). Basically it sits in between Natural Gas and Gasoline in the world of organic chemistry. The study you mention used pentane to extract hydrophobic volatiles from American Elm sawdust. They could have used something else like carbon tetrachloride, but pentane is likely considered safer than a chlorocarbon like carbon tet.

Honestly, after reading Punaweb for a while, I don't think we're far off from the Salem Witch thing. Bad rye is also theorized for many other events. Rye mold (ergot) is a source of a precursor for LSD, which explains the association with bizarre behaviour. I'm not sure what the excuse is for many on PW, but it sure is entertaining.

Just call me Mike

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There he goes showing off that Canadian education of his!

Seriously though, this is the go to place for a few laughs.

[Obie]

I gotta save this one Gyp.

quote:

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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.

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[Guest]

No problem Obie,
Hopefully we don't have to worry about anything like (this)in lower Puna or around our neighbors green, safe, reliable, electrical, exploratory geothermal power plant.

Ormats ways of deep drilling or capping of its leaking or abandoned wells are completely different, or are being monitored for envirornmental possibilities right?

http://ecohearth.com/eco-zine/green-issu...aster.html

Could a new fungus ever be created, evolve, mutate, or be even possible due to leaking deep drilled wells or geothermal brine fluids, oil, gas, steam, heat, or waste?. The potential may warrant research, environmental, or health studies( Finally!! ),jmo.
Some fungi and maybe there is hundreds are probably healthy for most trees to grow, while others may increase bacteria or a type of fungus that may eventually kill a sensitive tree like an Ohia,jmo.

On a flip note..

This (SOD) disease they have been battling in some of the western states seems or acts very similar to our (ROD) disease,jmo. Is our county or state implementing many of the same techniques or resources to combat our (ROD) Outbreak here in Puna?

http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/gallery-...drome.html

Has anything been recognized(Culprit)yet as to why, or what, is the cause or causes for new strains of tree killing fungus like SOD or ROD?.