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Well, the tree line is well below the telescopes on Mauna Kea, to be sure. I hiked it a few years back with an altimeter and I think the last of the large vegetation stopped around 8,000 or so feet, not to mention that the eastern side is usually very wet. But it's right next to Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Kilauea, with the potential for vog. Hualalai erupts only rarely and it's pretty far away. Kilauea is closer, but the summit is much lower, between 4,000 and 5,000 feet, and Mauna Loa is in the way, plus the winds would carry any vog to the northwest, away from Mauna Kea. But Mauna Loa sometimes erupts along the saddle separating Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, at 8,000 feet. So, while vog would not likely reach the telescopes directly, an eruption from Mauna Loa could potentially threaten Saddle Road and the observatory access road, which would interfere with astronomers and support personnel reaching the telescopes. The dormitories are at 9,300 feet, a few miles away from Saddle Road, so anyone there could stay there as long as they had supplies, but eruptions can sometimes take a while to clear out.

Oh, by the way, vog usually consists of water vapor, sulphuric acid, and microscopic glass powder, among other nasty things, so it's not something you want to breathe or expose your sensitive instruments to. While not as severe as Mt. Wilson right now, even Mauna Loa has its threats.