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The Bayan tree in Lahaina in July 2024, almost a year after the deadly Maui wildfires
According to AP, the banyan tree was given to Lahaina by India in 1873 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries in the area.
The tree has been a popular tourist attraction ever since, and thanks to arborists, it is now being brought back to life after surviving the deadly fire of 2023, despite being badly damaged in the blaze.
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About 40 percent of the tree was lost, said Timothy Griffin, arborist for the County of Maui, according to ABC News. But the tree also made remarkable progress in its healing.
According to Griffin, after just three weeks, experts were able to see that the banyan tree was making the progress they had expected in three months.