Maui’s recovery from a wildfire that killed nearly 100 people and burned down Lahaina will be a long and difficult journey. But if there’s one symbol that can at least instill some sense of hope and optimism since the August blaze it’s the resilience of Lahaina’s historic 150-year-old Banyan Tree. The tree, which wasn’t much taller than most people when it was planted in April of 1873, grew to a height of about 60 feet with a canopy spreading over approximately two-thirds of an acre when it was severely damaged in the fire. Many initially worried that the fire might have killed the tree, but arborists insisted that it could be saved — an early thread of hope after the immediate shock of the fire.
Volunteers have been caring for the tree in the weeks since the fire and just recently, Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources shared some proof that the tree is showing signs of life. As much as 5,000 gallons of water have been poured over the tree daily, which is obviously helping, but some of the surrounding soil is still resistant to absorbing water due to damage from the fire.
“I would say about 75 percent of the tree right now is showing new growth, and we’re really happy about that,” local landscaping business owner, Chris Imonti said. “The northeast corner of the tree got most of the heat so we’re still monitoring that part of the tree pretty closely.”
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Of course, the people of Maui are still working to recover from the tragedy of the fire itself. The tree is a symbol of hope, but there are many other practical steps to rebuilding. In a conversation with The Inertia last month, Matt Meola reminded us that the urgency of supporting relief efforts can’t go away with time.
“These people need money to survive right now. There are a few places you can donate. You just want to make sure it’s going directly to help the people who need it the most,” he said in late August. “I just feel like helping people financially if you can do fundraisers and continue to support over a long period of time is the most important thing. Just keeping the word out there, because when there’s a disaster, everyone wants to help, and they donate right in the beginning and then other news pops up and it becomes old news. But these people are going to be suffering for a really long time. I think just continued support and keeping the word out there is super important right now.”
