{"id":42637,"date":"2016-02-07T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2016-02-07T16:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=42637"},"modified":"2023-03-15T13:41:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T23:41:23","slug":"seeding-the-future-of-the-ohia-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2016\/02\/07\/seeding-the-future-of-the-ohia-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeding the future of the \u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba tree"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_29970\"  width=\"676\" height=\"380\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vggJyLFvv5Q?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Seeding the future of the \u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba tree\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-42632\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/msnoa-lyon-arboretum-ohia-rod.jpg\" alt=\"healthy and dying ohia trees\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/msnoa-lyon-arboretum-ohia-rod.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/msnoa-lyon-arboretum-ohia-rod-130x130.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/msnoa-lyon-arboretum-ohia-rod-260x260.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Hawaiian <span aria-label=\"\u201cohia&quot;\">\u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba<\/span> trees. A devastating disease called Rapid <span aria-label=\"Ohia\">\u02bb\u014chi\u02bba<\/span> Death, or <abbr>ROD<\/abbr>, has decimated more than 34,000 acres on <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Island. Scientists at the <a href=\"http:\/\/hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span><\/a> have been monitoring the spread of ROD with great concern and are looking for solutions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/ohialove\">gofundme.com\/ohialove<\/a> to help support UH\u2019s efforts to preserve <span aria-label=\"\u201cohia&quot;\">\u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba<\/span> trees<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThey call it Rapid <span aria-label=\"Ohia\">\u02bb\u014chi\u02bba<\/span> Death because if an individual tree dies very quickly once it gets infected you\u2019ll see the leaves all turn brown and fall off in a couple of weeks,\u201d said <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctahr.hawaii.edu\/nrem\/staff\/friday.html\"><strong><abbr>JB<\/abbr> Friday<\/strong><\/a>, extension forester with the <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ctahr.hawaii.edu\/site\/\">College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources<\/a>. \u201cThe extent on the island\u2014the first places we think we started seeing it spreading was 2010, by 2012 there were hundreds of trees dying, by 2014 there were tens of thousands and now we\u2019re talking hundreds of thousands or millions of trees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-42644\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/system-ohia-seed-facts.jpg\" alt=\"Fact sheet about Rapid Ohia Death\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/system-ohia-seed-facts.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/system-ohia-seed-facts-130x130.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/system-ohia-seed-facts-260x260.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span aria-label=\"Ohia\">\u02bb\u014chi\u02bba<\/span> trees cover 865,000 acres and <span aria-label=\"\u201cohia&quot;\">\u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba<\/span> is considered by many to be the most important tree in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span>. Half of the native trees on <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Island are <span aria-label=\"\u201cohia&quot;\">\u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba<\/span>. Native birds and tree snails, many of them endangered, live and feed on them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe currently have about 30 species that still exist and all but a half a dozen of those are already considered to be endangered,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/biology\/people\/sheila-conant\"><strong>Sheila Conant<\/strong><\/a>, emerita professor with the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/biology\/\">biology department<\/a>. \u201cWithout the <span aria-label=\"\u201cohia&quot;\">\u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba<\/span> forest most of those birds would have nowhere to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their canopy protects the innumerable smaller trees and native shrubs, creating the watershed that recharges our water supply.<\/p>\n<p>Said <a href=\"http:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/directory\/view\/358\"><strong>Kalena Silva<\/strong><\/a>, professor with <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.olelo.hawaii.edu\/khuok\/\">Ka Haka <span aria-label=\"Ula o Keelikolani\">\u02bbUla o Ke\u02bbelik\u014dlani<\/span><\/a>, \u201cThere is an old Hawaiian proverbial saying, <em>he <span aria-label=\"alii ka aina\">ali\u02bbi ka \u02bb\u0101ina<\/span>, he kau\u0101 ke kanaka<\/em>, the land is chief and the people are its servants. And so we remember, that the <span aria-label=\"\u201cohia&quot;\">\u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba<\/span> trees<\/p>\n<p>University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> scientists are working diligently to protect and preserve this keystone tree in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span>\u2019s native forest. The <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/lyonarboretum\/research\/conservation\/hrpp\/seed-conservation-laboratory-hawaiian-rare-plant-program\/\">Seed Conservation Laboratory<\/a> at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/lyonarboretum\/\">Lyon Arboretum<\/a> launched <a href=\"http:\/\/gofundme.com\/ohialove\">a campaign in February 2016 to fund an effort to collect and bank <span aria-label=\"\u201cohia&quot;\">\u02bb\u014dhi\u02bba<\/span> seeds from areas of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Island that are most at risk and it will also allow us to make collections here on <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O\u02bbahu<\/span> that are endemic only to the island <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O\u02bbahu<\/span>.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The seed conservation lab has been storing native Hawaiian seeds for more than 20 years and currently banks more than 12 million seeds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur mission is to help prevent extinction of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span>\u2019s rare plant species and seed banking is proven method to accomplish this,\u201d said Chau.<\/p>\n<p>Seeds can be stored for decades until the appropriate time where they can be reintroduced.<\/p>\n<p>For more information go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/ohialove\">gofundme.com\/ohialove<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Help spread the word on social media using the hashtag #ohialove.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/uhawaii\/sets\/72157663440106620\">View the photos on University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Flickr album.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Lyon Arboretum launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to save seeds from the threatened <span aria-label=\u201cohia\">&#699;&#333;hi&#699;a<\/span> trees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[254,368,308,212,665,316,192,14,9],"class_list":["post-42637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","tag-biology","tag-botany","tag-college-of-natural-sciences","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-conservation","tag-ka-haka-ula-o-keelikolani","tag-lyon-arboretum","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","entry","no-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42637"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174222,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42637\/revisions\/174222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}