‘There’s still life’: Crews working to save Maui’s historic 150-year-old banyan tree

LAHAINA, Hawaii (KHNL/Gray News) - Tree surgeons from around the country are lending a hand in West Maui to save the historic banyan tree that sits in the heart of Lahaina.

According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, it is documenting what’s being done to save Lahaina’s famed tree.

Currently, crews are doing a process called aeration. They are creating large holes and slices in the soil around the tree to help air, water and nutrients penetrate the soil.

“Right now, there’s still life under every one of the groups and in the mainstream,” said arborist Steve Nimz. “So, that’s where our hope is. Then the rest is up to the tree.”

The team said there are 36 aerial roots — branches that connect down from the edges of the tree to the ground.

The 150-year-old tree is said to be the largest banyan in the U.S. It suffered extensive damage in the wildfires that swept through the town of Lahaina last week.

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