The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has issued a reminder to travelers planning to attend the upcoming Merrie Monarch Festival about the ongoing quarantine restrictions regarding the transport of ʻōhiʻa from Hawaiʻi Island. These restrictions come in light of the rapid ʻōhiʻa death (ROD) disease that has been ravaging native forests since its detection in 2010.
Set to take place in Hilo from April 20 to 26, the festival attracts numerous spectators and hula hālau. However, the importance of adhering to the ʻōhiʻa quarantine cannot be overstated, as the disease continues to pose a significant threat to the state’s ecosystem.
Since 2015, the quarantine has prohibited the movement of various ʻōhiʻa plant parts, including but not limited to flowers, leaves, seeds, twigs, cuttings, untreated wood, and even soil from Hawai‘i Island. Even if the material is sourced from another island, its transport off of Hawai‘i Island requires a special permit issued by the HDOA Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB).
To ensure compliance, PQB inspectors will be stationed at Hilo and Kona airports on Sunday and Monday, April 27 and 28, ready to collect any ʻōhiʻa material. These collected items will be respectfully returned to their native forests. Last year during the festival, Hilo PQB inspectors intercepted 27 lei poʻo (head lei).
Additionally, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience plans to provide baskets for collecting any ʻōhiʻa materials. These baskets will be available both at the festival and at the airport PQB offices.
A travel alert flyer detailing the restrictions has been posted on the HDOA website, reminding visitors about the critical need to protect ʻōhiʻa trees from the spread of ROD. The emergency quarantine issued by the Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture in August 2015 aimed to prevent the spread of the plant fungus across islands, leading to a permanent quarantine rule established in 2016.
Violating the quarantine could result in serious consequences, including fines ranging from $100 to $10,000 for the first offense, and up to $25,000 for subsequent violations committed within five years. It’s vital for travelers to understand that even the act of harvesting ʻōhiʻa can contribute to the disease’s spread, as spores can be transmitted through soil, harvesting tools, shoes, and clothing.
Since its discovery, ROD has claimed the lives of over a million ʻōhiʻa trees on Hawai‘i Island alone. The disease first appeared in Puna and was identified as Ceratocystis fimbriata in 2014 by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture. More recently, this fungus has been reclassified into two new species, Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia.
Though ROD was detected on Kauaʻi in 2018 and O‘ahu in 2019, it has since been contained on Maui. Authorities remain unsure about how ROD entered the state, highlighting the importance of public awareness regarding the transport of ʻōhiʻa material.
Travelers seeking more information about inspections and compliance can reach out to HDOA’s Plant Quarantine offices, with contact numbers available for each island. For further details on ROD, additional resources can be accessed on the HDOA website.
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