For the first time, researchers have shown that native ʻōhiʻa seedlings can survive for at least a year in areas that have active mortality from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, or ROD, a fungal disease that is devastating to this dominant and culturally important tree in Hawaiian forests.
For the first time, researchers have shown that native ʻōhiʻa seedlings can survive for at least a year in areas that have active mortality from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, or ROD, a fungal disease that is devastating to this dominant and culturally important tree in Hawaiian forests. This information can be useful to land managers and homeowners as they prioritize conservation actions.
The study, published recently in Restoration Ecology, was authored by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit at University of Hawaiʻi Hilo.
"ʻŌhiʻa is a keystone species in Hawaiian forests, and ROD has the potential to cause major ecosystem disturbances that will negatively impact water supply, cultural traditions, natural resources and quality of life," said USGS Director Jim Reilly. “This innovative research provides a glimmer of hope for native ʻōhiʻa tree restoration in Hawaiʻi by indicating that successful planting of ʻōhiʻa could be possible in ROD-affected forests if the native species’ seedlings are protected.”
The study also highlights specific best practices for maximizing seedling survival, noted Stephanie Yelenik, an ecologist with the USGS and lead author of the study.
Read more at U.S. Geological Survey
Image: 'Ohi'a (Metrosideros polymorpha) seedling in an unweeded plot. (Credit: Stephanie Yelenik, Ph.D. Research Ecologist USGS, Pacific Island Ecosystem Research Center)
