Hawaii plant experts have discovered signs of life in a famous tree which was feared to have been killed by the Lahaina wildfire.
Around half the branches on the 151-year-old Banyan tree died after the flames ripped through Maui town year.
The worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history claimed the lives of 97 people and left scores more homeless, with many still feeling the effects a year on.
But there has been a glimmer of hope after the Maui County Arborist Committee uncovered encouraging signs the historic tree is also on the path to recovery.
Thanks to the work of arborists and volunteers the 60 foot tree is now healthy and re-growing in parts.
Hawaii plant experts have discovered signs of life in a famous tree which was feared to have been killed by the Lahaina wildfire
Committee Chair Duane Sparkman said some branches have hundreds of leaves and are even bearing fruit again.
Those working to restore the tree removed the dead branches so that the tree’s energy would go toward the branches that were alive, according to Sparkman.
To monitor that energy, 14 sensors were screwed into the tree to track the flows of sap through its branches.
‘It’s basically a heart monitor,’ Sparkman said. ‘As we´ve been treating the tree, the heart beat’s getting stronger and stronger and stronger.’
Sparkman said there are also plans to install vertical tubes to help the tree’s aerial roots, which appear to be vertical branches that grow down toward the ground. The tubes will contain compost so as to provide the branches with key nutrients when they take root in the soil.
The 151-year-old tree was badly damaged in the devastating wildfires which claimed 97 lives and wrought destruction across the Maui town
Maui County Arborist Committee Duane Parkman said the tree is now bearing fruit again in some parts
A planned irrigation system will also feed small drops of water into the tubes. The goal, Sparkman said, is to help those aerial roots ‘bulk up and become the next stabilizer root.’ The system will also irrigate the surrounding land and the tree’s canopy.
‘You see a lot of long, long branches with hundreds of leaves back on the tree,’ Sparkman said, adding that some branches are even producing fruit. ‘It´s pretty amazing to see that much of the tree come back.’
Sparkman estimates that Lahaina lost some 25,000 trees in the fire.
The banyan tree is the oldest living one on Maui, but is not a species indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands.
India shipped the tree as a gift to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries to live in Lahaina.
The Banyan tree, pictured here before the wildfire, the oldest living one on Maui, but is not a species indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands
New growth is seen on the historic banyan tree on July 6, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii
It was planted in 1873, a quarter century before the Hawaiian Islands became a U.S. territory and seven decades after King Kamehameha declared Lahaina the capital of his kingdom.
The tree is widely beloved 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 has dispossessed Native Hawaiians of their land and suppressed their language and culture.
