When wildfires swept through Maui in August, homes and businesses burned Historic city of Lahaina – Including the city The famous banyan tree. But the burned tree remained standing, and showed a new sign of hope: new green leaves sprouting among the dead.
Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) A video was shared From the sign of life on September 13. The department said Last month, even though the 150-year-old tree wasn’t showing signs of life, it was.
Since the fires, water tankers have been dumping hundreds of gallons of water onto the tree every few hours. Landscaping contractor Chris Amonte said extra care provided by arborists, landscapers and other volunteers finally yielded results.
“We sampled the roots last week and had very good news regarding new life in the roots,” Imonte said in a statement on August 31. “A lot of new roots have taken off.”
They formed a Banyan Huey Tree Conference — or conference — informally led by arborist Steve Nims, who measured the tree’s growth rate using sensors, Imonte said.
They also used “compost tea,” a blend of natural ingredients formulated by Emonti that are released into the ground and tree. Clover, a flowering leguminous plant, was also placed around the tree as an experiment to see if the nutrients in the plant would help restore it.
Once the capital of Hawaii, Lahaina is home to many historic buildings. The 60-foot banyan tree was originally planted in 1873 by Sheriff William Owen Smith to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Protestant mission to the city, which is part of Lahaina’s rich history.
The tree has become a tourist attraction with many people throwing parties and even getting engaged. Now it has become a symbol of hope.
“I’ve been here for years and years and, like many others, I have a personal connection to the tree,” Imonte said. “For me, it’s a symbol of hope. We’re taking it very seriously to try to bring the tree back, to give some hope to the Lahaina. We don’t know what will happen in the future, but I think it will be a new beginning for everyone.”
At least the devastating wildfires left 97 deadHawaii Governor Josh Green announced last week that 74 of them had been identified. Another 31 people are still missing.
West Maui will open in October, and the governor has invited visitors to travel to the island.
“It will help our people heal.” Green told CBS Mornings. Tuesday. He added: “After October 8th, if you could come to Hawaii and really help fortify us, because it was a very difficult time.”
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