HILO, Hawaii – Dr. Lisa Keith, a research plant pathologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, guides media on a behind-the-scenes look at the fight against Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD), a fungal disease that has already killed hundreds of thousands of Hawaii’s iconic ‘ohi‘a trees.

Inside the laboratory of the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Keith is hard at work trying to learn as much as she can about the new disease in the hopes of stopping the spread of ROD.

Last Wednesday, simultaneous news conferences were held on Oahu and Hawaii Island, as managers and researchers provided updates on the response to the disease.