David Y. Ige

 

MEDIA ADVISORY

ʻŌHIʻA FUNGUS DISCOVERED ON KAUA’I
Less Aggressive of the Two Species Causing Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death on Hawai‘i Island

A rapid response team of experts from state and federal agencies and non-government organizations formed over the last week to investigate the deaths of several ʻōhiʻa trees in the Moloa‘a Forest Reserve on Kaua‘i’s northeastern side. This is the less aggressive of two species of fungus that Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death or ROD. The rapid response team from the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, UH-Hilo Dept. of Geography & Environmental Science, the University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the USDA Forest Service Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, The Nature Conservancy, the National Tropical Botanical Gardens and the Big Island & Kaua‘i Invasive Species Committees, mobilized over the past week to determine the extent of the infection on Kaua‘i to verify initial field tests and to provide training for Kaua‘i-based crews on how to detect and collect samples to verify the presence of the disease.

What:
News Conference

When:
Friday, May 11, 2018
1:30 p.m.

Where:
Board of Land and Natural Resources, boardroom, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu

Who:
• Rob Hauff, State Protection Forester, DLNR Division of Forestry & Wildlife
• Dr. Lisa Keith, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA Agricultural Research Service
Via video conference from Hawai’i Island
• Sheri S. Mann, Kaua‘i Branch Chief, DLNR Division of Forestry & Wildlife
Via video conference from Kaua‘i

Resources:
Video news release, high definition video, high resolution photographs and interviews from the field will be available.

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Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0407
[email protected]
[email protected]