‘There’s still life’: Nationwide effort afoot to save Maui’s 150-year-old banyan tree

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Arborists from around the country are lending a hand in West Maui to save the historic banyan tree that sits in the heart of Lahaina.

Photos sent to the HNN newsroom from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources show what’s being done to save Lahaina’s famed tree.

DLNR clarified they are not engaged in any of the treatment efforts, but they are simply documenting the work to highlight the arborists’ efforts.

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

“But as I say, right now, there’s still life under every one of these groups and in the mainstream,” said arborist Steve Nimz. “So that’s where we’re, that’s where our hope is.”

“Then the rest is up to the tree.”

Arborists say there are 36 aerial roots — branches that connect down from the edges of the tree into the ground.

The 150-year old-tree is said to be the largest banyan in the U.S.

Copyright 2023 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.