Last summer, a fire raged on the Hawaiian island of Maui, killing over 100 people and razing thousands of buildings and homes. The disaster was one of the most devastating wildfires in American history.

The worst damage occurred in Lahaina, a historic town on the island’s west coast. The fire not only reduced much of the region to rubble, but also scorched the town’s beloved banyan tree, which had just turned 150 years old. Now, a year after the disaster, the tree is recovering.

“It’s not out of the woods yet,” says Timothy Griffith Jr., chief arborist for Maui County USA Today‘s N’dea Yancey-Bragg. “But the fact that new growth continues to occur makes us optimistic – cautiously optimistic – that we will have something to work with in the decades to come.”

When it was planted in 1873, the banyan tree was only 8 feet tall. When the fires broke out in August 2023, it was the largest banyan tree in the United States. It had grown to over 60 feet tall and its numerous trunks spanned half an acre, filling an entire city block.

When the smoke cleared, the tree was still standing but badly charred. Its leaves and branches had turned a dull gray color. Was there life beneath the burned surface? When photos began circulating, experts weren’t sure.

When arborists examined the tree, they found that many of the charred branches and leaves would not survive. But they also found some hopeful signs: living tissue was still present on the tree’s lower trunks. They concluded that the tree could recover, although the chances were uncertain.

“Let’s put it this way: It’s the tree,” said arborist Steve Nimz, who was involved in the recovery effort. USA TodayMary Walrath-Holdridge a few weeks after the fire. “The tree will either react or say it’s time to go.”

A team of arborists, landscapers and volunteers gathered and began planning. They didn’t know if their efforts would save the tree, but they could give it the best possible chance.

“(The tree) is kind of in a coma,” Nimz added. “It’s like a coma, you get intravenous fluids in your veins and your vital functions stay intact until you blink or move a finger or something. So we’re doing the same thing with the tree.”

The team began an irrigation program. In the first few days, workers soaked the tree’s soil with 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water per day, according to the New York Times‘ Livia Albeck-Ripka. They also began treating the tree with something they called “compost tea,” a nutrient-rich cocktail of seaweed, worm castings and sea minerals. By mid-September, new leaves began sprouting. Officials posted videos on social media showing small green sections emerging from between charred bark and leaves.

“We’re seeing good results,” said Chris Imonti, a landscaper involved in the reconstruction efforts. Hawaii Kevin Allen of the magazine about a month after the fire. “As long as we take care of it enough, everything will be fine, I think.”

Experts concluded that the heat of the fire had dried out the tree and many of its branches had lost water. Two nearby monkey shell trees that did not survive protected parts of the banyan tree from the flames, so Maui nowBrian Perry. Meanwhile, the northeast corner of the tree, which was most damaged in the fire, has never recovered. Nearly half of the tree’s branches have died.

The team removed the dead branches in the hope of diverting as much energy as possible to the healthy branches. They also installed more than a dozen sensors to study sap flow.

“It’s basically a heart monitor,” Duane Sparkman, chairman of the Maui County Arborist Committee, told Claire Rush and Jennifer Sinco Kelleher of the Associated Press. “As we treat the tree, its heartbeat gets stronger and stronger.”

Today, the banyan tree is thriving and has grown “long branches with hundreds of leaves,” Sparkman told the AP. But the tree’s condition is still fragile and experts are working on new interventions. Soon, vertical pipes will supply the tree with nutrient-rich compost, while an irrigation system will help keep the roots healthy.

Experts have to carefully monitor the tree for years, removing diseased parts and ensuring that a new canopy grows. They have also taken dozens of cuttings from the tree, which are now growing in pots. Eventually, they will plant the cuttings in the vacant northeast corner, where so many of the banyan tree’s original branches have died.

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