Hawaiian plant experts have discovered signs of life on a famous tree that was feared to have been destroyed by the Lahaina forest fire.

About half of the branches of the 151-year-old banyan tree died when flames raged through Maui town this year.

The worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history killed 97 people and left many more homeless. Many are still feeling the effects a year later.

But there is a glimmer of hope after the Maui County Arborist Committee discovered encouraging signs that the historic tree is also on the road to recovery.

Thanks to the work of arborists and volunteers, the 60-foot tree is now healthy and partially regrowth.

Hawaiian plant experts have discovered signs of life in a famous tree that was feared to have been killed in the Lahaina forest fire.

Committee chairman Duane Sparkman said some branches had hundreds of leaves and were even bearing fruit again.

According to Sparkman, those involved in restoring the tree removed the dead branches so that the tree’s energy could flow into the living branches.

To monitor this energy, 14 sensors were screwed into the tree to track the flow of sap through its branches.

“It’s basically a heart monitor,” Sparkman said. “As we treat the tree, its heartbeat gets stronger and stronger.”

Sparkman said there are also plans to install vertical tubes to support the tree’s aerial roots, which appear to be vertical branches that grow downward toward the ground. The tubes will contain compost to provide the branches with essential nutrients as they take root in the soil.

The 151-year-old tree was severely damaged in the devastating wildfires that claimed 97 lives and caused destruction throughout Maui Town.

Duane Parkman of the Maui County Arborist Committee said the tree is now bearing fruit again in some places

A planned irrigation system will also direct small drops of water into the pipes. The goal, Sparkman said, is to help the aerial roots “build mass and become the next stabilizing root.” The system will also irrigate the surrounding land and the tree canopy.

“You see a lot of long, long branches with hundreds of leaves on the tree,” Sparkman said, adding that some branches even bear fruit. “It’s pretty amazing to see how much of the tree grows back.”

Sparkman estimates that about 25,000 trees were lost in the fire in Lahaina.

The banyan tree is the oldest living tree on Maui, but it is not a native species to the Hawaiian Islands.

India sent the tree as a gift to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries in Lahaina.

The banyan tree, pictured here before the forest fire, is the oldest living tree on Maui, but is not a native species to the Hawaiian Islands.

New growth can be seen on the historic Banyan tree in Lahaina, Hawaii on July 6, 2024

It was planted in 1873, a quarter century before the Hawaiian Islands became a U.S. territory and seven decades after King Kamehameha declared Lahaina the capital of his kingdom.

The tree is popular and remembered by millions of tourists who have visited Maui over the years.

For many others, however, it is a symbol of colonial rule that robbed Native Hawaiians of their land and suppressed their language and culture.