Ohia Ash shown to Improve Ohia Health

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Is there an Ohia bible out there; an anatomy book?

ohiagrrl,
Have you seen the recently released book, "The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World?"

I haven't read it, and it's not specifically about ohia trees, but it does seem to touch on some of the aspects of tree growth you've mentioned over the course of your posts.

From the book's description:
Are trees social beings? ...forester and author Peter Wohlleben ... draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.
https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Life-Trees-Communicate-Discoveries-Secret/dp/1771642483/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484333944&sr=1-1

It's on my wish list, so I hope to ready it at some point this year.

"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms

[ohiagrrl]

Thanks HOTPE! Sounds amazing. Will add to MY wish list. I have heard one theory from my surfer/ botanist friend that Ohia share nutrients as well as disease through root connectivity. Might be an explanation to the mysterious pattern or trail aspect of Ohia death. The ones that are not connected, may be loneier but have a stronger chance of surviving blight. OG

[ohiagrrl]

Tangent off Slow Walker's thoughts about mycorrhizal innoculants: From field notes ROD does seem to be a "from the ground up" infection. The low branches regularly seem to get hit first as the pathogen gets drawn up the trunk, suggesting that maybe the beneficial fungal colonies that help process tree nutrients may get hit with the Ceratocystis Fimbriata in advance of the Ohia itself and possibly be a medium for the disease. Could lend more credence to the idea that CF starts as a soil health issue. The potential of Hydrogen (pH) balance is way off and that's a given. Also according to a publication put out by the University of California's Forest Stewardship Series, “….in air polluted areas, unnaturally high levels of nitrogen (NOX, nitrous oxides) in the precipitation may upset the nutrient cycle of the ecosystems on which they fall.” In any event the systemic nature of the problem seems larger than just the trees themselves. We cannot contain the volcanic output or the atmospheric anomalies affecting Hawai'i Island but we can try to counter balance the known issues through soil amendments. This is my entire premise. These additions are eventually what would occur if humans were taken out of the equation because dead forests tend to burn.

In 2015, prior to my soil amendments, we lost about a dozen trees, largely due to taking down nearby ROD kills. The arborists dropped the dead trees into the living forest and the corpses were left there, sawdust went everywhere and we didn't think to paint cut ends of the newly felled tree with sodium borate as per Dr. B's recent suggestion, so the closest trees became ill and died. Mixing ashes with water may be an alternative to s. borate, as it would be a very light caustic lye. However the s. borate is also a preservative and may actually form a thin barrier of minerals that actually block the movement of the pathogen while P. Hydroxide may deter but then disipate. Will try both and let you know.

Since 2016, and treating widely with Ohia wood ash, (literally just scattering it around) we have only had one new case of ROD and it happened directly after this recent, month-plus of drenching acid rain to a young tree that is competing for space with a large palm. I originally thought that the tree got sick because a branch got knocked off by a falling palm frond but that may just be coincidence. Eliminating root competition does seem to help these trees avoid illness, especially eliminating the Koster's Curse (Clidemia hirta, with the berries), with it's garotte like roots that may eventually cut or strangle Ohia roots, (have heard this about Waiwi Guava as well). Careful not to break the Ohia root surface while weeding, especially if using tools, as this also can lead to exposure and illness. I am going to try cleaning tools with light solution of caustic lye (ash mixed with water/Potassium hydroxide). Alcohol is really costly when using every day and I can make the potassium hydroxide solution myself. That being said, I don't have any idea about whether the light caustic lye solution would be detrimental to beneficial fungal colonies if poured directly onto the ground in liquid form. Spreading just ash may be a better idea than drenching roots because it is probably less shockingly corrosive in a trickle down, grass filtered form.

Another side note, we have far fewer coquis and ants in our immediate vicinity this year since spreading ash. Just saying.

[ohiagrrl]

10 billion trees perish annually worldwide.

http://www.slate.com/articles/video/video/2015/09/how_many_trees_are_there_on_earth_study_counts_and_says_10_billion_die_a.html?wpsrc=kwfacebookvid&kwp_0=42637&kwp_4=1115869&kwp_1=515865

[TomK]

ohiagrrl,

May I suggest that when you edit your posts after people have already responded, as you often do, then you might consider adding a short message at the bottom of the post explaining what the edit was about? It's extremely inconsiderate to others when they see you've edited your post after they have commented on it and have no idea what you changed. Some might even consider it dishonest.

Thanks.

[ohiagrrl]

Lee M-S just posted this on another thread (and I editted it into my first page as well):

"A Master Gardener gave the Water Garden Club an update on ROD this evening. Just in the last few days, they've identified a vector; two species of the ambrosia beetle. The beetle is covered with microscopic hairs that hold spores of the fungus. It bores into the tree, depositing spores as it goes, lays its eggs, and seals the hole (apparently, the buglets eat the fungus). The fungus then spreads throughout the tree. Everything involved is infected with the fungus--the bug, the bug's poop, baby bugs, sawdust--and can easily be spread to other areas, even by walking or driving through the sawdust.

They believe this is similar to Dutch Elm Disease and Texas Oak Wilt, and are starting to try a chemical that stalls out those infections. Unfortunately, the chemical must be injected into each tree every 2 years, so you might be able to save your trees, but this doesn't hold out much hope for the forests ."

Wood ash is a known dessicant and deterant to pests. Potassium hydroxide reacts to biofilm of larval sack by turning it to soap...kills the keiki bugs.

[ohiagrrl]

So I've been read the riot act about suggesting someone get Ohia wood off another's property to burn for cook fires. Of course there is a moving ban on Ohia that is ill defined, but that brings up what I want to talk about. ROD is a systemic issue....even DR Friday said in his response to my assertions.

Systemic Disease means that the environment, has altered and conditions align to support disease in individual metabolic processes, ie: 1) hotter planet and proliferation 2) more acidic air and oxygen depletion; creatures that can flourish in anaerobic environment 3) Over population; more people transporting materials 4a) Molecular structures of every living thing are altering due to petroleum saturation. This is why we talk about trying to reduce our carbon footprint. Children fed on foods grown in synthetic nitrate fertilizers are being born with skin that won't stick to their bones. Trees are dying by the millions world wide. We must change our system to support the planet's support systems. Treating a tree with a shot of anti fungals may be tenable, but treating a forest is not. The solution needs to be systemic as well and that means utilizing the working apparatus of all involved organisms. Humans, being the part of the systemic equation we have any say in. Since our current cultural expectations helped get us here, it seems likely we have to look to history for solutions. Since slash and burn is the oldest form of agricultural replenishment, why exactly are we turning our noses up at this method?

A movement ban is put in place to prevent the spread of the disease and this seems sensible for the time being, but what next, human quarantine? My assertion is that if you "flavor" an Ohia with wood ash, the bugs will be repelled or die. If the environment is made inhospitable to the bugs then human activity tracking the pathogen is less likely. The Ohia that have already succumbed are where this get's tricky. An upright Ohia that looks dead, may actually still have living function within it, meaning that where there is nutrient flow, Ambrosia Beetle (AB) could still remain. Fungus can't survive certain type UV light so sawdust is probably not an issue if you cut on a sunny day in a clearing. The issue is if there are any living beetles that can motor on over to the next tree. Killing the bugs in larval form is still your best bet as well as flavoring trees. Ceratocystis fimbriata is much more likely to spread subterranean through water flow and root connectivity which would then put a blinking marquee on the next tree to the ambrosia beetle. More later.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Since slash and burn is the oldest form of agricultural replenishment, why exactly are we turning our noses up at this method?

I don't think many have objected to slash & burn, or cut and burn on site, if done in a safe and responsible manner. However, all of the regulations currently in place recommend against cut, move, and burn.

"Only fear real things, such as minds full of delusions." -Last Aphorisms

[ohiagrrl]

Hey Primal,
When I said "we" I guess I meant those who tend to inform cultural practices that modify our interactions with the natural world, ie:the scientific community, whom for all their studies and pedigrees seem to have thus far been unable to connect the essential dots regarding these systemic arboreal blights. I did do some initial searches to see if wood ash treatments were utilzed anywhere for Dutch Elm and have not been able to locate any such experiments. Since the initial outbreaks of Dutch Elm on the mainland happened well into the Industrial Revolution, 'slash and burn' was already removed from the modern lexicon. A ban on moving the wood is not ultimately a solution. While the ban makes sense for the moment, if pretreating trees with ash proves to make the trees abhorrant to Ambrosia Beetles (the chief traffickers of CF) then the ban will serve only to hinder substantial amounts of tree food/ medicine from being created. I'm looking at the long game with this assertion.

[TomK]

"When I said "we" I guess I meant those who tend to inform cultural practices that modify our interactions with the natural world, ie:the scientific community, whom for all their studies and pedigrees seem to have thus far been unable to connect the essential dots regarding these systemic arboreal blights."

I've read this sentence over and over again and still can't understand what it really means. Could you clarify, perhaps with examples?

"Since slash and burn is the oldest form of agricultural replenishment, why exactly are we turning our noses up at this method?"

I believe some of the oldest significant human-made structures in the world were built using slaves. I wonder why we are turning our noses up at this method?

Old doesn't necessarily mean good, the same way as natural doesn't mean it's not poisonous.