KAHULUI - In addition to causing delays in food shipments and ending flower shipments to the Mainland, the layoff of state agricultural inspectors could result in a shortage of Christmas trees in Hawaii this year.

Carol Okada, manager of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture's Plant Quarantine Branch, said her division would likely not have the resources to inspect the nearly 200 containers of Christmas trees imported to the state, and she would not allow them to enter unchecked because they are considered very likely to contain nasty invasive pests including snakes and tree wasps.

"We know Christmas trees are wanted by families; it's just such a high-risk commodity," she said.

Christmas tree shipments are expected to peak around Thanksgiving, at the same time as food imports. That means the state's remaining agricultural inspectors will have their hands full just keeping up with incoming produce, and may not be able to get to nonfood imports.

"Christmas trees, we're already saying we're probably not going to do, because food is first," she said.

Any container of trees that is inspected would be turned back if any wasp or other pest is found.

The department's past practice if inspectors find pests has been to empty the container and clean the shipment, so that the remaining uninfested trees can still be released and sold, she said.

But that just won't be possible with the number of inspectors Okada expects to have on staff if the layoffs go forward.

"It just takes so much manpower to unload each container," she said.

The Plant Quarantine Branch also coordinates with Christmas tree shippers on the Mainland to prevent and intercept pests.

Without enough funding last year, agricultural inspectors paid their own airfare and flew to Oregon on their vacation days to visit and inspect tree farms and shipping companies, she said.

That probably won't happen again this year, Okada said.

"They were thinking of it," she said. "But I don't know if they're going to do it now that they don't know if they're going to have a job."