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.
Planted in 1873, the Front Street banyan tree is the oldest of its kind in Maui.
It is not indigenous to Hawaii, but rather was shipped from India as a gift to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries to live in Lahaina.
Its planting came 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 Maui wildfires of 2023 damaged some 25,000 trees in Lahaina, according to Maui County Arborist Committee Chair Duane Sparkman.
Although the fire charred the tree and blackened many of its leaves, the banyan tree survived the blaze and is recovering one year later.
Why is Lahaina's banyan tree significant?
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.
For generations, the banyan tree served as a gathering place along Lahaina's waterfront.
By many accounts, it was the heart of the ocean-side community — towering more than 18 metres 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, and have become roosting places for choirs of birds.
What happened to it during the fire?
Before: June 25: Banyan Court in Lahaina.. . After: Auguest 9: The same area following a wildfire that tore through the area. (Maxar Technologies). .
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Mr Sparkman said although the tree was charred and partially blackened, the flames were off less concern to the tree than the intense heat of the fire.
The heat dried out much of the tree, and the loss of moisture resulted in about half of its branches dying.
"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.
How was it saved?
Those working to restore the tree removed the dead branches so the tree's energy would go toward the branches that were alive, Mr Sparkman said.
To monitor that energy, 14 sensors were screwed into the tree to track the flows of cambium — or sap — through its branches.
"It's basically a heart monitor," Mr Sparkman said.
"As we've been treating the tree, the heart beat's getting stronger and stronger and stronger."
Mr 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 to provide the branches with key nutrients when they take root in the soil.
A planned irrigation system will also feed small drops of water into the tubes.
The goal, Mr Sparkman said, is to help those aerial roots "bulk up and become the next stabiliser 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," Mr Sparkman said, adding some branches are even producing fruit.
"It's pretty amazing to see that much of the tree come back."
What other trees were destroyed in the fire?
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The 25,000 Lahaina trees destroyed in the 2023 Maui fires included fruit trees people grew in their yards as well as trees that are significant in Hawaiian culture.
According to the Hawaii Ulu Cooperative, these significant trees include the ulu or breadfruit trees. The fire charred all but two of the dozen ulu trees that remained.
Before colonialism, commercial agriculture and tourism, thousands of breadfruit trees dotted Lahaina.
Since the blaze, a band of arborists, farmers and landscapers — including Mr Sparkman — has set about trying to save the ulu and other culturally important trees.
To help restore Lahaina's trees, Mr Sparkman founded a nonprofit called Treecovery.
He said the group has potted some 3,500 trees to grow them in "micro-nurseries" across the island, including at some hotels, until people can move back into their homes.
"We have grow 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," he said.
"It's important that we do this for the families."
AP/ABC
