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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/07/banyan-tree-recovery-wildfire-lahaina-maui>
"When a deadly wildfire tore through Lahaina on Maui last August, the wall of
flames scorched the 151-year-old banyan tree along the historic town’s Front
Street. But the sprawling tree survived the blaze, and thanks to the efforts of
arborists and dedicated volunteers, parts of it are growing back – and even
thriving.
For generations, the banyan tree served as a gathering place along Lahaina’s
waterfront. By many accounts, it was the heart of the oceanside community –
towering more than 60ft (18m) high and anchored by multiple trunks that span
nearly an acre.
The enormous tree has leafy branches that unfurl majestically and offer shade
from the sun. Aerial roots dangle from its boughs and eventually latch onto the
soil to become new trunks. Branches splay out widely, becoming roosting places
for choirs of birds.
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.
Because while the banyan tree is the oldest living one on Maui, it 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. It was planted in 1873, a quarter century
before the Hawaiian Islands became a US territory and seven decades after King
Kamehameha declared Lahaina the capital of his kingdom.
The 2023 fire that erupted on 8 August and killed more than a hundred people
was devastating for the tree as well. The flames charred the tree and blackened
many of its leaves. But it wasn’t the flames so much as the intense heat that
was generated that dried out much of the tree, according to Duane Sparkman,
chair of the Maui county arborist committee. As a result of this loss of
moisture, about half of the tree’s branches died, he said.
“Once that section of the tree desiccated, there was no coming back,” he said.
But other parts of the tree are now growing back healthy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
