5th Annual ʻŌhiʻa Love Festival Goes Virtual Second Year in a Row

The fifth annual ʻŌhiʻa Love Festival will be held online for a second consecutive year.

Expanding from a single species to an entire ecosystem, this year’s festival theme is “Celebrate Forests.” The event starts on Nov. 3 and will culminate with Arbor Day, Nov. 6.

“‘Ōhi‘a lehua is a cornerstone species of our native forests, protecting our reefs, and providing water for all, food for native wildlife, and inspiration for over a thousand years of Hawaiian culture,” DLNR press release stated. “Unfortunately, a deadly fungal pathogen leading to Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death has killed over a million ʻōhiʻa trees on Hawaiʻi island and hundreds of others across the state.”

The festival is free and there will be three live workshops offered:

• A virtual tour of the different types of forests and the special flora, fauna, and ecosystems found across the islands.
• An examination of the different species and varieties of ʻōhiʻa, where they grow, and how to identify them.
• Presentations on cultivating your own ‘ōhi‘a from collecting and sowing seeds to planting and caring for ‘ōhi‘a at home.

Free keiki activity and craft kits will be available at participating Hawaiʻi State Public Libraries while supplies last. Registration is required for some of the virtual events and the festival is designed for the whole family.

This event is put on in collaboration with the University of Hawaiʻi, the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and local Invasive Species Committees.