The emergency quarantine on transporting ohia from Hawaii Island became permanent last week. ADVERTISING The emergency quarantine on transporting ohia from Hawaii Island became permanent last week. The quarantine was put in place last year in response to the outbreak
The emergency quarantine on transporting ohia from Hawaii Island became permanent last week.
The quarantine was put in place last year in response to the outbreak of rapid ohia death on the island. The disease has infected more than 50,000 acres of forest on the Big Island, but so far has not been found in other parts of the state.
State officials as well as researchers studying the disease attribute the disease’s containment to the emergency rules put in place by the state Department of Agriculture.
Public hearings about making the emergency rules permanent took place during the summer. The state Board of Agriculture approved the change Oct. 18. The rules became effective Nov. 27 after being sent to the lieutenant governor’s office.
Under the quarantine, the following must be inspected by the DOA Plant Quarantine Branch and receive a permit before being shipped off island: ohia flowers, leaves, seeds, stems, twigs, cuttings, untreated wood, logs, mulch green waste and frass, and any soil that ohia has grown in.
Any person in violation of the rules can be charged with a misdemeanor and fined.
People wanting to ship ohia can contact Plant Quarantine offices in Hilo at 961-9393 or Kona at 326-1077.
