Hawaii tree revival offers hope a year after Maui wildfire

The August 8, 2023, wildfire tore through the quaint town of Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, destroying nearly every structure, including historic landmarks like the beloved 200-year-old Waiola Church. More than 100 people were killed, some trapped in their cars as they tried to flee the blaze. The flames tore through the tree, rooted in the heart of the town on the ocean’s edge.

Helping to tend what was left of the banyan fed Duane Sparkman’s soul in the aftermath, as residents leaned on each other for food, fuel and other essentials. He was one of more than 50 volunteers who helped Griffith keep the banyan alive.

Sparkman, chief engineer at Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows, often hung lights in the tree during pre-fire festivities as chairman of the Maui County Arborist Committee.

“I spent a lot of time with the tree, just in the shade, enjoying the size of it, the mass of it, and being in awe of a tree of that magnitude,” he said. “And so to be able to, or to keleana – responsibility – to oversee the regrowth, it is very heartwarming for me that I was allowed to do that at all.”

The day after the fire, as embers smoldered and families frantically searched for their loved ones, work began. Water tankers were brought in to douse the browned canopy and soak the roots. Workers injected compost tea into the soil to provide micronutrients and spread milled alfalfa on the surface to provide extra nitrogen.

About six weeks after the fire, 100 new leaves were growing, but Griffith knew recovery would take a long time.

Historic banyan tree devastated by wildfires grows new leaves

Just weeks after Maui was devastated by wildfires, the scorched historic banyan tree sprouted new leaves.

Claire Hardwick, USA TODAY

A symbol for all of Maui? Banyan has a different meaning to Hawaiians

The image of the banyan tree, still standing after the fire that took so many lives, quickly became a logo of hope for “Lahaina Strong,” plastered across T-shirts and tote bags. But the tree has a more complicated meaning for Native Hawaiians.

Ekolu Lindsey, president of Maui Cultural Lands, an organization dedicated to preserving Hawaiian culture, archaeological sites, native plants and people, said the monumental tree is not a revered icon for many because it was planted to honor the arrival of Protestants.

The banyan was imported from India at the request of Queen Keopuolani to honor the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries in the area. Planted as a sapling in 1873, the tree grew to a height of 60 feet, spanned 1.94 acres in length and shaded nearly two-thirds of an acre, according to the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.

“Most locals can’t relate to it, but since the rest of the world is so excited about it, we should use this as a catalyst to look at other things,” Lindsey said.

Like the banyan tree, his family has lived in Lahaina since the 1800s and were among the last local families to live on Front Street before their oceanfront home was destroyed by flames. He said they also lost a number of trees in the fire, including a 150-year-old breadfruit tree, or ulu tree, a large sea grape tree, coconut palms and “the best mango tree there is.”

Like many others, Lindsey hopes to return home within six months, “even if I have to put up a tent or drive a caravan in or something.” He is looking forward to replanting the Ulu tree.

“We have generational memories in those spaces, the smell of the seaweed, the smell of the fish your grandfather caught, the smell of the mangoes as they fall, all those memories,” Lindsey said. “Looking back now, I’ve seen a great recovery in the last year since the fires.”

Rebirth and renewal, a testament to ‘Lahaina Strong’

Griffith, the area’s tree surgeon, believes two large monkey trees, which had been completely burned, saved the banyan tree from further damage.

But the northeast corner of the tree, which was next to a two-story building, had burned the hottest and never showed signs of new growth. When branches began to fall to the ground, the team decided in March to remove six trunks before more structural damage could occur to the rest of the tree.

The banyan tree is watered about three days a week and sensors monitor water intake. Griffith visits once a week to check for new leaves and to poke the ground for new root growth.

“It’s not out of the woods yet,” Griffith said. “But the fact that it continues to generate new growth makes us optimistic — cautiously optimistic — that we’ve got something to work with in the decades ahead.”

The team has taken a couple dozen cuttings from the new growth and rooted them in pots. They plan to replant the offspring, known as keiki, in the northeast corner in the coming years and let them grow back to the mother tree over the next few decades.

“It will never look the same again, but it’s there and we have something to work with,” Griffith said.

Griffith estimates that the fire killed 25,000 trees, including historic Ulu trees brought from Polynesia by canoe. His team also hopes to replant their descendants.

“There are so many people volunteering their time,” he said. “I get all kinds of emails. I had one last week, people just wanting to donate cuttings or small trees.”

But it’s too early to think about replanting. Even as the first anniversary of the deadly fire approaches, officials are still working to clear debris from the fire zone.

Dark memories of the fire still haunt Sparkman. He said fireworks reminded him of the propane tanks and cars he heard exploding that night. But he is impressed by the burgeoning recovery in the fire zone.

Parts of Lahaina, including the area around the tree, remain closed to outsiders. However, some restaurants, businesses and other areas are open, and the Hawaii Tourism Department is encouraging visitors to return and support Maui’s recovery.

Craig said the last two months have been the best his photography business has had since the fire, though he’s still anxious about the future. When he drives past Lahaina, tears still well up in his eyes, but he’s “thrilled” that the tree is still standing, “remarkably resilient.”

“It’s a symbol of hope for Hawaii and hope for Lahaina,” he said.

After the fire, Sparkman raised more than $220,000 and purchased about 3,500 young trees to help replant the island’s urban forest through his nonprofit Treecovery. The organization is giving them away for free to families affected by the fires.

“Trees are a big thing here in Hawaii, they become part of a family,” he said. “We really need them.”

While the trees wait for a new home, they are being cared for at about a dozen sites on the island, including private homes and resorts, with the help of both locals and tourists, he said.

“By helping them heal,” Sparkman said. “This is a big, huge healing process for all of us.”

Contributors: Kathleen Wong, Saman Shafiq and Mary Walrath-Holdridge