Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, July 17, 2020

Hawaiʻi County mayoral candidate Yumi Kawano.  Photo from Kawano's Facebook

YUMI KAWANO IS RUNNING FOR MAYOR of Hawaiʻi County with a slogan of Be the Change, Make the Change. She says her passion is rainforest restoration and her mission is "to restore our Hawaiʻi Island and to find a healthy, safe, and balanced way of life. It takes planned wise use of our lands and resources for future generations to thrive. We can all build community by finding ways to get our need for goods and services met locally by buying or trading with each other."

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see Facebook. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter. See our Fresh Food on The Kaʻū Calendar and our latest print edition at kaucalendar.com.

CU HAWAIʻI FEDERAL CREDIT UNION MAKES FORBES BEST-IN-STATE LIST for the second year in a row. Each year, Forbes partners with the research firm Statista to survey nearly 25,000 people in the U.S. for their opinions on their current or former banking relationships. Financial Institutions are scored on overall satisfaction, as well as five sub-dimensions: trust, terms and conditions, branch services, digital services, and financial advice. Of the 5,236 credit unions nationwide, just 3.5 percent made the Forbes Best-in-State list, and CU Hawaiʻi was one of those nationwide credit unions.
     CU Hawaiʻi locations in Kaʻū are in Ocean View, ATM only, outside Rancho Ace; Nāʻālehu at 95-5664 Māmalahoa Hwy; and Pāhala at 96-3208 Maile St. Other branches are in Kona, Pāhoa, Keaʻau, and Hilo. See cuhawaii.com.
     A statement from CU Hawaiʻi FCU says, "We are honored and humbled to be recognized on this Best-in-State list for the second year in a row. We know that times have changed due to COVID-19 and your continued support of your credit union is greatly appreciated. We're here to serve all of your needs and you can rest assured that you are our top priority. Thank you for allowing us to serve you with all of your financial needs. We can't say mahalo enough for your continued trust and support."

UNEMPLOYMENT IN HAWAIʻI IS 13.9 PERCENT for June, an almost 10 percent drop from May, reports the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations.
     Department of Labor reports statewide employment of 527,600 working and 85,200 unemployed in June, for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 612,800. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 11.1 percent in June, down from 13.3 percent in May.

     Department of Labor reports that the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting data derived for unemployment from the Current Population Survey, also known as the household survey. For  the household survey, individuals were classified employed, unemployed, or not in the labor force, based on answers about their activities during the week of June 7 - 13.  Department of Labor stated that COVID-19-related issues affected unemployment statistics published for Hawai‘i by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The major discrepancy was that those without a job not actively seeking work, "particularly during this time of government-ordered business closures and social distancing requirements," were classified as "not in the labor force." The misclassification of workers recorded as "employed but not at work" instead of "unemployed on temporary layoff" is a contributing factor. The low response rate for the survey during the pandemic is possibly another factor, reports the state Department of Labor.

     The state labor department also announced updated employment insurance claims information, including paying $2,189,522,737 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 1, 2020. Department of Labor Deputy Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio said, "91-percent of the valid unemployment insurance claims that have come in since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic have been processed and paid out. Although it appears that the number of claims requiring departmental action is stable, we are still receiving nearly 8,000 new claims a week."

PARTS OF KAʻŪ AND VOLCANO ARE UNDER MILD DROUGHT CONDITIONS according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Northeastern Kaʻū to Miloliʻi and a portion of Volcano, according to the map, are under Abnormally Dry conditions, which means less water available for crops, pasture, and wildlands. Hiking trails show noticeable soil erosion. Parts of Hāmākua and Kohala are under Moderate Drought conditions, which means crops and pasture growth are stunted, farmers are not allowed to use reservoir water, concerns about fire danger increase, and there are more bugs. A tiny portion near Kawaihae is under Severe Drought, which means cattle health and pasture conditions are poor, coffee and sugar cane struggle, fire danger is high, and water restrictions are implemented.

     Last year, all Hawaiʻi Island except parts of coastal Kona were under some level of drought, with Nāʻālehu under Extreme Drought.

     Information on website droughtmonitor.unl.edu is produced jointly by the NationalDroughtMitigationCenterat the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 21-year-old partnership publishes weekly information on drought conditions for the U.S.

     The monthly report for Hawaiʻi Island, released by National Weather Service on July 9, says Kaʻū District had a wide range of conditions in June, with some sites reporting above average totals and others at less than 50 percent of June average. 

NATIVE ʻŌHIʻA SEEDLINGS CAN SURVIVE RAPID ʻŌHIʻA DEATH for at least a year, according to a new study by U.S. Geological Survey and Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit at University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. The study, published recently in Restoration Ecology, reports "successful restoration is possible" in areas with trees dying from Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death, the fungal disease that devastates the native species.

     USGS Director Jim Reilly says, "Ōhiʻa is a keystone species in Hawaiian forests, and ROD has the potential to cause major ecosystem disturbances that will negatively impact water supply, cultural traditions, natural resources, and quality of life. This innovative research provides a glimmer of hope for native ʻōhiʻa tree restoration in Hawaiʻi by indicating that successful planting of ʻōhiʻa could be possible in ROD-affected forests if the native species' seedlings are protected."
     Stephanie Yelenik, an ecologist with the USGS and lead author of the study, says "We found that ʻōhiʻa seedlings planted into a forest heavily affected by ROD have a high probability of survival for the first year. While that one-year survival of seedlings is great news, this species lives centuries and there's currently no treatment once the tree becomes infected. Because ʻōhiʻa grow slowly, a dead tree is a gap in the canopy for a long time, and one of Hawai‘i’s many quick-growing invaders can take over the gaps caused by dead trees. These results provide the first, but still early, evidence that planting ʻōhiʻa may be used as a restoration tool in forests that are threatened by ROD.

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death is spreading through native Hawaiian forests all over Hawaiʻi Island. DLNR photo

     "The ʻōhiʻa tree is the dominant tree in Hawaiian forests, the first to colonize new lava flows and often forms the bulk of what makes up the forests. While planting ʻōhiʻa may not be necessary in forests where ʻōhiʻa seedlings naturally occur, we thought planting might be a good tool for managers who want to maintain a native ʻōhiʻa canopy in forests dominated by invasive plants in the understory. We wanted to test that idea."
     Scientists planted seedlings in areas with confirmed fungal pathogen Ceratocystis -- the ROD  infection. They weeded and fenced some areas, and left other areas untouched except for the ʻōhiʻa plantings. The study showed seedlings were most likely to die in unweeded and unfenced areas due to competition from other plants and feral ungulates damaging them. While viable ROD fungal spores were found in the soil, none of the dead seedlings tested positive for ROD.

ʻŌhiʻa seedlings show no sign of contracting ROD from soil according to the one-year study. CTAHR image

     Lisa Keith, research plant pathologist for the USDA Agricultural Research Service, says the study provides clues about epidemiology of the disease and dynamics of ROD pathogens across the landscape. "This information can help to slow the spread of the disease through effective management strategies. While surrounding disease pressure may be high, results suggest that ʻōhiʻa seedlings have the capacity to thrive in areas devastated by ROD."
     J.B. Friday, a forester with University of Hawai‘i Cooperative Extension Service, says the study indicates that ʻōhiʻa seedlings are not infected with ROD through the soil. "Those results are encouraging for two reasons. First, it means that even in forests with invasive trees and shrubs, ʻōhiʻa may possibly be re-established. And second, it means that in our high-elevation, pristine native forests, natural ʻōhiʻa regeneration could be possible, even in forests hit by ROD, if those areas are protected."

Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death is a fungal infection that kills native Hawaiian forests. DLNR photo

     Yelenik said research needs to be done for a longer time, that early results show active planting could successfully help maintain native ʻōhiʻa forests, but that "protecting ʻōhiʻa from infection remains the primary tool in the fight against ROD."