Lahaina’s 151-year-old tree is becoming a symbol of hope after the Maui wildfires
The August 2023 Maui wildfires left deep scars across Lahaina, claiming lives, homes, and much of the island’s treasured landscape. Among the devastation stood a historic landmark that many feared was lost forever: the 151-year-old banyan tree, which has long anchored the town’s waterfront.
Today, against the odds, the massive tree is showing signs of life again. New leaves stretch from long branches, and even fruit has begun to appear. As Maui County Arborist Committee chair Duane Sparkman described its comeback, “You see a lot of long, long branches with hundreds of leaves back on the tree,” and, “It’s pretty amazing to see that much of the tree come back.”
Volunteers and arborists quickly rallied to save what remained. Though the fire scorched the canopy, the banyan’s core survived thanks in part to nearby monkeypod trees that absorbed the worst of the flames. Maui County Arborist Tim Griffith explained how the blaze moved through the area:
“The rest of the block (mauka of the tree and Front Street) was one-story (buildings), and it had these two giant monkeypod trees between the banyan and the buildings across the street. So that section didn’t burn as hot. The fire hit the monkeypods, went up the monkeypods, and kind of just flashed over the top. The monkeypods went up, died almost instantly. The bark started falling off within weeks. So they definitely took the brunt (of the fire) and acted as blockers for the banyan.”
He added that, despite the damage above, “nothing down below was really burned. There’s no char on the trunks.” And later emphasized, “So, it was more of a flash over the top, as opposed to just the fire coming in at ground level.”
For generations, the banyan has been more than a tree. Planted in 1873, decades before Hawaii became a U.S. territory, it has shaded families, hosted celebrations, and welcomed millions of visitors. Yet it also carries a complicated history, tied to colonial times and the arrival of missionaries who brought it from India.
After the fire, nearly half its branches died as moisture vanished from its massive structure. To save it, caretakers removed dead limbs and installed sensors to monitor sap flow. Sparkman likened the effort to medicine for a living giant: “It’s basically a heart monitor,” adding, “As we’ve been treating the tree, the heartbeat’s getting stronger and stronger and stronger.”
Beyond the banyan, Lahaina lost an estimated 25,000 trees, including cherished fruit trees like native ulu, or breadfruit. In response, Sparkman founded Treecovery, a nonprofit growing thousands of young trees across Maui so that residents can return home. His mission is clear: “We have grown hubs all over the island of Maui to grow these trees out for as long as they need. So when the people are ready, we can have them come pick these trees up and they can plant them in their yards,” and “We must do this for the families.”
Now, as new shoots push through charred wood, the banyan stands as a living reminder of both loss and resilience. In a town still largely abandoned, its lush greenery offers a quiet promise that recovery, though slow, is possible.
To me, the rebirth of Lahaina’s banyan tree shows that healing doesn’t always arrive with grand gestures — sometimes it comes leaf by leaf, branch by branch. In the shadow of tragedy, this ancient tree reminds us that resilience is rooted deep and that even after unimaginable loss, life still finds a way to rise.
Source:
- https://youtu.be/_QEMSwzxD7Q
- https://www.ecowatch.com/lahaina-banyan-tree-wildfire-recovery.html
- https://aistudio.google.com/
- https://chatgpt.com/
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