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quote:
Originally posted by pbmaise
A list of recently arrived insect that could be vector delivery systems includes:
1. Fire ants - Known to injure roots and bore into trees to make chambers. 1999 timing is right.
2. Xyleborus beetles that recent destroy 10s of thousands of acres In Florida by transmission of a fungus. However, not confirmed yet in Hawaii?
3. Oriental flower bug beetle found in 2002 on Ohau Protaetia orientalis
The timing is right.
4. Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle
It is mainly know for destroying palms In general. It may be in Puna but likely not cause of Ohia problem. This said it is a serious threat to coconut and other palms. On Oahu there is an on-going aggressive management program. Up to 150 palms have been cut down in one area.
5. Carpenter bees that drill directly into Ohia. These may assist the another insect by first creating the holes, then another insect occupies the hole.
edit
Adjusted statement on rhino beetle
It's not the Rhino beetle whacking my Ohia's or coco's, it's contaminated air & water. Also the carpenter bee's pollinate so I don't mind that they bore into older wood.
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quote:
Originally posted by Midnight Rambler
rainyjim and Chunkster - ohia forest covers about a third of Oahu. Just because you have to walk to get there, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
I would like it if this is true, but I doubt that it is.
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Maybe it's more like a quarter, but most of the Koolaus above 1500 feet elevation is mostly native (going down lower in the north), as is the top of the Waianaes. I work in conservation on Oahu and I'm out there every day, take my word for it.
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I would believe that a quarter is native, though that still seems to be pushing it.
But a third ohia, no.
Dakine, thank you for the link and good read this morning.
Nice to know leilani estates is ground zero for this ohia wilt, instead of the Puna geothermal plant. J.B. Friday was the man who came out here a few years back, he was very professional and seemed very concerned. I wish Dlnr would have shown the same kind of response a couple years earlier, we may have known more about the disease by now? The Ohia tree death rate around my place was very disturbing several years back, the Dlnr and states response was even more disturbing as time went by. Kevin the mayors assistant at the time was nice enough to call me back once to assure me that geothermal was not the culprit. I believe kevin was the one who asked J.B to come out and finally take a look around our place. Responses did change very quickly once the rumours were out about Punas geothermal possibly killing the Ohia?. I had asked a few times if it was possible geothermal was doing some kind of cleaning or scrubbing of waste products somewhere close to cause the outbreak?
When J.B was walking our property I asked him specifically if he thought the disease could have started right here or nearby? Because the first signs we saw of this disease was between geothermal and us on the helco power line road that runs up from geothermal. He said " oh no" ohia trees have been dying for centuries for various reasons. This ohia die-back did act different than the past recorded or studied die-backs for it had several immediately noticeable differences. Something I have noticed over the years is this disease spreads much quicker for a few weeks just after strong windy periods. One of the worst spreading came just after the hurricane winds. I have seen similar wilts on yams, tomatoes, taro, kava, and the auwe blaskrasberries after high winds. Those plants are much easier to cut and rid than the 100 year old dead ohia.
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After reading the article and gypsy's posts here it sounds like because he continually blamed geothermal, he misled the scientists and caused this problem to become worse.
Way to go !!!
Obie, thank you for your support.
Geothermal probably is not the culprit, although they should not be excluded from this environmental disaster started in lower Puna unless proven so in my opinion. They could help fund the obviously needed studies if they were concerned i thought. Or halt production or expansion until the situation was under control or studies were complete, again i thought wrong. Instead they have had the power line road behind leilani bull dozed, cut down hundreds if not thousands of trees within a 1 mile radius of geothermal. They have quickly expanded or drilled another well before the studies have either been started or completed. They were very smart to freeze the relocation fund as well when they did, jmo because the numbers on the list was growing after the hurricane mishap. Leilani estates now being ground zero, and just down wind of an expanding experimental power plant should not be misleading scientists to having concerns if Ormats operations Could be contributing to the die-back.
Obie, you once told me the steam or gas my wife and I were seeing often at early morning hours around the geothermal plant and leilani was a natural phenomenon if I am not mistaken? Well since about a month or two after being blessed by hurricane Izelle we have not seen or smelled the common or daily phenomena the way we were, did it dry up when the geothermal well failed shortly after the storm or was the well leaking production through the nearby grounds?. Anyway our intentions were not to mislead the scientists, we were concerned about our homes and children brushing their teeth and showering with the disease matter from the decaying Ohia leaves. J.B. Friday helped ease my wife's concerns a few Years later. Have a nice day Obie.
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Instead they have had the power line road behind leilani bull dozed, cut down hundreds if not thousands of trees within a 1 mile radius of geothermal.
gypsy69 - Again, you are wrong. Geothermal (PGV) did not bulldoze or cut down the trees. HELCO did. HELCO owns the power as soon as it leaves the geothermal plant. HELCO owns the transmission lines and it is their duty to maintain the right-of-way.
Somehow I knew leilanidude was going to be very quick to respond to my nonsense and concerns. Your right about helco dozing the power line road from geothermal up past leilani, and it has been helco cutting down trees around the power plant, my bad. I believe the county of Hawaii paid for the geothermal needed generator's after the hurricane as well. My point is geothermal sits right smack in the middle of ground zero and does nothing to help the situation of the spreading of the disease. Ormat has not been and is not a good neighbor if you ask me.
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My point is geothermal sits right smack in the middle of ground zero and does nothing to help the situation of the spreading of the disease.
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Why is it Ormat's responsibility to help prevent the spreading of this disease when they have nothing to do with it? With your reasoning, why aren't all of the papaya farmers doing anything about it? How about the marijuana growers? Shouldn't they be spending their illegal cash on this?
