The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has issued a reminder for travelers attending the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo from April 20 to 26, 2025. Restrictions on the transport of ʻōhiʻa from Hawai‘i Island remain in effect due to rapid ʻōhiʻa death (ROD), a fungal disease impacting native forests.
Since 2015, a quarantine has restricted the movement of various parts of ʻōhiʻa plants, including flowers, leaves, and untreated wood. Transport of such items is only permissible with a permit from the HDOA Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB).
To enforce these restrictions, PQB inspectors will be present at Hilo and Kona airports on April 27 and 28, collecting any ʻōhiʻa material to be returned to the forests. During the previous festival, 27 lei poʻo were intercepted. The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa will provide collectors’ baskets at the event and airport PQB offices.
A permanent quarantine rule was enacted in 2016 to curb the spread of ROD from Hawai‘i Island to other regions. Violating the rule may result in misdemeanor charges and fines between $100 and $10,000, with higher penalties for repeat offenses.
The Merrie Monarch Festival attracts numerous participants and visitors, and there is a risk of spreading the fungus through soil, tools, vehicles, and clothing. ROD was first identified in 2010 and classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2014. Recent studies have identified two distinct species, Ceratocystis lukuohia and Ceratocystis huliohia, responsible for the disease.
The disease was also found on Kauaʻi in 2018, on O‘ahu in 2019, and one infected tree was recorded and destroyed on Maui in 2019. The origin of the disease in the state remains unknown.
Travelers with inspection queries can contact HDOA’s Plant Quarantine offices in Hilo, Honolulu, Kona, Maui, and Kauaʻi. Additional information on ROD is available on the HDOA website and the University of Hawai‘i’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources website.
