Citizen Science for Hawaiian Forest Data

The Citizen Science for Hawaiian Forest Data is a recently developed, innovative program with the goal to empower high school students to engage in citizen science to protect ʻōhiʻa trees (Metrosideros polymorpha) from Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD) on Hawaiʻi Island. This program will be launched in Fall 2020 in collaboration with the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station and Laupāhoehoe Community Public Charter School (LCPCS). High School students at LCPCS will help the Forest Service screen for resistance to ROD, a disease caused by fungal pathogens affecting one of Hawaii’s most important keystone tree species, ʻōhiʻa. This program was funded in December 2019 by the USDA Forest Service’s Citizen Science Competitive Funding Program.