Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1726, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2023.

Ohia lehua trees form the backbone of Hawaii's forests and watersheds. It is the first tree that you will see spring up from a recent lava flow.

It grows from the sea level to 8,000 feet, and it protects our communities by literally keeping our mountains from eroding.

Ohia lehua also provides critical habitat for Hawaii's federally endangered forest birds and many other species.

They are what you call a keystone species in Hawaii's forests, and its catastrophic decline has the potential to cause major ecosystem imbalances that would impact watersheds, cultural traditions, natural resources, and the safety and quality of life of our people.

Because of this vital role they play in maintaining Hawaii's forest canopies and watersheds, rapid ohia death, or ROD, poses a lethal threat to the ecological balance and everyday life in our islands.

Initially reported in 2010, ROD has already spread to tens of thousands of acres and killed over a million trees on Hawaii island alone.

Large swaths of dead ohia trees pose a fire risk and a danger and are more prone to habitat-modifying noxious weeds and trees like miconia and strawberry guava, all of which are known to greatly impact watershed health and alter ecosystem function.

Despite efforts to contain the spread of ROD to Hawaii island through restrictions on the movement of plant material and increased sanitation protocols, ROD has now been found on the islands of Oahu, Kauai, and Maui.

Because there is no known cure for ROD, it has the potential to kill off ohia trees statewide and devastate our precious island ecosystems.

While ROD creates acres of deadly fire fuel with its dry and dead trees and poses a critical threat to our native birds, our native forests, watersheds, critically endangered forest birds, and I should note, natural beauty, support for combating ROD has been extremely limited.

For example, the Lyon Arboretum, a local research facility on Oahu, relied on funding through a GoFundMe campaign to further the vital seed banking of ohia lehua.

My bill, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act, seeks to address ROD and the urgent threat it presents.

The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to partner and collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture and the State of Hawaii to address ROD. It also supports ongoing detection, prevention, and restoration efforts to combat rapid ohia death.

I thank Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and especially Federal lands Ranking Member Neguse and his staff for their support and assistance on this bill.

We cannot stand alone, and we cannot lose our native forests in Hawaii. It protects and sustains our people and provides critical habitat for native species.

This bill is essential in turning the tide in the fight against rapid ohia death and protecting and preserving ohia lehua and Hawaii's unique ecosystems for our future generations.

I thank again all who have supported it, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes''.

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