Kylle Roy
Jeff Stallman
Stephanie G. Yelenik
2020
<p><span>Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD), caused by the fungal pathogen </span><i>Ceratocystis</i><span>, is killing large numbers of ʻōhiʻa trees (</span><i>Metrosideros polymorpha</i><span>) in Hawaiʻi. ʻŌhiʻa are a dominant tree in Hawaiian forests, have a range that goes from arid to wet forest climates, and are important for endangered species habitat and ecosystem function. To test whether actively planting ʻōhiʻa seedlings is a viable restoration strategy in areas with high ROD mortality, we planted ʻōhiʻa in a ROD‐affected forest and crossed this with weeding and fencing treatments to compare ROD mortality to other stressors. We also tested for viable </span><i>Ceratocystis</i><span> spores in soils around planting areas. We found that seedlings were more likely to die in unweeded and unfenced treatments than controls. Although viable </span><i>Ceratocystis</i><span> spores were found in soil, none of the 41 dead seedlings tested positive for </span><i>Ceratocystis</i><span>. This indicates that competition from exotic plants and exotic feral ungulate damage are more likely to kill seedlings than ROD within the first year after planting.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1111/rec.13197
en
Wiley
Successful restoration of Metrosideros polymorpha (ʻōhiʻa) is possible in forest sites with active Rapid ‘Ōhiʻa Death infections
article