From ash to action

One of the first places Timothy Griffith Jr. went after the deadliest wildfire in more than a century ripped through Maui's west coast was Lahaina's historic banyan tree.

The chief arborist for Maui County had seen reports that made him fear the worst: He imagined the 151-year-old giant had been reduced to a pile of ash.

So when he arrived in Lahaina the day after the blaze, he was surprised to see the nation’s largest banyan tree still standing, though its leaves were curled and brown. Underneath the bark near the base of its trunks, there was living tissue, a hopeful sign, but on the major branches, all the leaves and twigs were scorched.

The tree was in a coma.

👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with Paste BN Reporter N'Dea Yancey-Bragg about her reporting about the journey to save the banyan tree one year after the fire.

More reporting on Maui from Paste BN:

• How a 77-year-old grandmother survived the Lahaina inferno.
• Here's what travelers need to know about going to Maui.
• A growing number of Maui residents are "barely surviving" after the wildfire.
• Hawaii's beaches are disappearing. And it’s only expected to get worse. 

From ash to action on Maui

Over the past year, Griffith and a team of arborists, volunteers and experts have helped Maui's historic banyan tree grow anew, coaxing fresh leaves that are now nearly 7 feet long, an encouraging sign that like Lahaina itself, the iconic tree will not only survive but thrive.

Yancey-Bragg spoke with Griffith and his team about the recuperation efforts. Her takeaway: In the same way it takes a tree time to reseed, heal and become healthy again, the Lahaina community is also replanting itself after the wildfire on Aug. 8, 2023, raged through Lahaina town, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, leveling nearly every structure, including historic landmarks like the beloved 200-year-old Waiola Church.

More than 100 people died. Some were trapped in their cars as they tried to flee the inferno. The flames roared right over the tree and rooted in the heart of town at the ocean's edge. The fire killed an estimated 25,000 trees, including historic ulu trees brought by canoe from Polynesia. Griffith's team hopes to replant their offspring, too.

The resilience of Maui's trees, and the attention it requires to regrow, serves as a compelling metaphor for the community's journey forward.

"When you think about replanting (trees), it takes years and decades, not just one year," Yancey-Bragg said. "It's a testament to the resilience of the community."

Revisiting the story of Lahaina was symbolic for Yancey-Bragg as a journalist: She hopped on a plane within days of the devastating Maui fire last year to cover the immediate devastation. She saw firsthand the rubble, confusion and disbelief.

Many reporters don't get the opportunity to revisit stories they may have published a year ago. Yancey-Bragg made that a priority, interviewing volunteers, arborists and other community members about the collective effort to heal. She learned about efforts to create "compost tea" – organic material steeped in water that's infused in the ground to create a fertile, healthy nutrient source. She spoke with organizers about the tree's "tissue" like it was that of a human body, learning how local thinking and practices produce sympathy and connection with the environment.

She was careful not to ask people in Maui the most obvious question: "How is the recovery going?" Focusing too much on a complete outcome would miss the point of the progress happening in little bits every day, she said.

"Who am I to ask how fast or slow the reconstruction is going?" she said.

Check out Yancey-Bragg's story about efforts to recover Maui's trees. It's a stunning picture of a place that speaks for itself more than this newsletter ever could. From one of the most unique, natural regions of the United States, it's journalism like Yancey-Bragg's that reminds us to slow down and check in with one another.

"It's massive," Yancey-Bragg said of the tree and its sprawling network of roots. "It makes you feel so small in comparison. There's a sense of awe."

More to read from Paste BN this week:

• Meet Gwen Walz, a "champion" of college behind bars.
• Why does Colorado have a bird flu problem?
• A Florida restaurant owner recalls a daring escape by boat from Vietnam.
• Meet the flower-loving, glitter-wearing, ukulele-playing USA skater who cherished Paris.
•  Here's what fossils tell us about "ancient 'hobbits."

Thank you

I'm proud to work for a newsroom that pays attention to communities across the country, in big moments and small ones. Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you. 

Best wishes, 

Nicole Fallert