LAHAINA, Hawaii – When one deadly fire ran through Lahaina on Maui last August, the wall of flames burned the 151-year-old banyan tree along the historic city’s Front Street. But the sprawling tree survived the fire, and thanks to the efforts of dedicated arborists and volunteers, parts of it are growing back – and even thriving.
One year after the fire, here’s what you should know about the banyan tree and efforts to restore it.
The banyan tree is the oldest tree on Maui, but it is not an indigenous species to the Hawaiian Islands. India sent the tree as a gift to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries to live in Lahaina. It was planted in 1873, a quarter century before the Hawaiian Islands became U.S. territory and seven decades after King Kamehameha declared Lahaina the capital of his kingdom.
The tree is much loved and fondly remembered by millions of tourists who have visited Maui over the years. But for many others it is a symbol of colonial rule that stripped Native Hawaiians of their land and suppressed their language and culture.
For generations, the banyan tree served as a meeting point along the Lahaina waterfront. By many accounts, it was the heart of the seaside community – rising more than 60 feet high and anchored by several logs stretching over nearly an acre.
The huge tree has leafy branches that unfurl majestically and offer shade from the sun. Aerial roots hang from the branches and eventually attach themselves to the ground to become new trunks. The branches spread widely and have become perching sites for choruses of birds.
The 2023 fire burned the tree and blackened many of its leaves. But it wasn’t the flames but the intense heat generated that dried out much of the tree, according to Duane Sparkman, chairman of the Maui County Arborist Committee. As a result of this moisture loss, about half of the tree’s branches died, he said.
“Once that part of the tree dried out, there was no going back,” he said.
But other parts of the tree are now growing back healthy.
Those who worked to restore the tree removed the dead branches so the tree’s energy went to the branches that were alive, Sparkman said.
To monitor this energy, 14 sensors were screwed into the tree to track the flows of cambium, or sap, through its branches.
“It’s basically a heart monitor,” Sparkman said. “As we treat the tree, the heartbeat gets stronger and stronger.”
Sparkman said there are also plans to install vertical pipes to help the tree’s aerial roots, which appear to be vertical branches that grow toward the ground. The tubes will contain compost to provide the branches with essential nutrients as they take root in the soil.
A planned irrigation system will also feed small drops of water into the pipes. The goal, Sparkman said, is to help these aerial roots “bulk up and become the next stabilizing root.” The system will also irrigate the surrounding land and tree canopy.
“You see a lot of long branches with hundreds of leaves on the tree,” Sparkman said, adding that some branches are even producing fruit. “It’s amazing to see that much of the tree is back.”
Sparkman estimates Lahaina lost about 25,000 trees in the fire.
This included the fruit trees that people grew in their backyards, as well as trees that are important in Hawaiian culture, such as the ulu or breadfruit tree; the fire burned all but two of the dozen or so that remained.
Since the fire, a group of arborists, farmers and landscapers – including Sparkman – have gone to work trying to save the ulu and other culturally important trees. Before colonialism, commercial agriculture and tourism, thousands of breadfruit trees dotted Lahaina.
To help restore Lahaina’s trees, Sparkman founded a nonprofit called Treecovery. The group has planted about 3,500 trees in pots, he said, growing them in “micro-nursery” across the island, including in some hotels, until people can return to their homes.
“We have cultivation centers all over the island of Maui to grow these trees for as long as necessary. Then, when people are ready, we can ask them to come and harvest these trees and plant them in their backyards,” he said. “It’s important that we do this for families.”
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AP Writer Audrey McAvoy contributed from Honolulu.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
