Endangered ohia celebrated with events islandwide at Ohia Love Fest

Hawaii Island:

• Nov. 19, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Pahoa Community Center hosts an ohia potting workshop, booths, games, prizes and a raffle giveaway.HONOLULU — The 6th Annual Ohia Love Fest returns this year with several in-person events across the state, Nov. 5 to 19. The theme is “Mōhala,” the “unfurling of the lehua” that represents how the state is emerging out of COVID, moving onto a new stage of life.

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  What You Need To Know

  • • Ohia Love Fest events on Maui, Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii Island celebrate the ohia lehua, the backbone species of Hawaii’s forests

  • • Ohia lehua forests are the primary habitat for native wildlife, protect the islands’ watersheds and hold an important place in native Hawaiian culture and traditions

  • • Ranchers and farmers first noticed dying ohia trees on Hawaii Island in 2010, but it wasn’t until 2014 that the fungal pathogen, known as Rapid Ohia Death, was officially identified

  • On June 27, 2022, the ohia lehua was named the State Endemic Tree of Hawaii when Gov. David Ige signed SB 2059 into law

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  The endemic ohia lehua is the most common native tree, comprising about 80% of Hawaii’s native forests. It’s the first to spring from recent lava flows and grows from sea level up to 8,000 feet in elevation, from short bushes to far-reaching canopy trees. Ohia lehua forests are the primary habitat for native wildlife, protect the islands’ watersheds and hold an important place in native Hawaiian culture and traditions.

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