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Fire-ravaged banyan receives major trim

By MATTHEW THAYER 4 min read

The volunteer crew from Wailea Tree & Landscape may prune trees for a living, but that could not shield its members from the emotions conjured by Lahaina's 151-year-old banyan tree as they removed a large swath of deadwood Wednesday.

Amid the buzz of a chainsaw and crash of blackened limbs hitting the ground, worker Phil Ngalu said the feelings were impossible to ignore.

"It's definitely not light," he said as his father, company owner Paul Ngalu, trimmed high in the canopy. "We have a lot of connections to Lahaina, our family. We grew up on Lanai, so we spent a lot of time in Lahaina, a lot of time under the banyan tree. We don't take it lightly."

The landmark tree planted in 1873 was severely wounded by the windswept wildfire that decimated Lahaina Town on Aug. 8 of last year. The wounds were not mortal, however, as roughly half the tree is expected to survive. Wednesday's pruning project focused on the scorched perimeter lining Front and Hotel streets. Limbs were dropped in sections, piece by piece, leaving bare secondary trunks waiting to be cut to the ground.

Maui County Arborists Committee Chairman and founder of Treecovery Hawaii, Duane Sparkman, said the pruning was both inevitable and necessary.

"I'm glad we're cutting it," Sparkman said Wednesday. "It needs to be cut. It pushes energy back into areas that are green. You're going to see green areas get even greener and more robust."

Sparkman hailed the volunteer effort by Paul Ngalu and his crew.

"I can't thank them enough," he said. "The work they do is hard work, it's dangerous and it takes an extreme skillset. And they are doing it for free. I mean, like wow, that's awesome."

Paul Ngalu said he appreciates the contracts he has with Maui County and does not mind throwing in some kokua work when the need arises. He said his company has also helped clear downed trees and debris at Launiupoko Beach Park and along South Kihei Road.

"Ever since the fire, we have been volunteering for the county," Paul Ngalu said. "We're here to serve the community, to help out however we can."

What goes around, comes around, he says.

"Give whatever you can give. In some way, it always comes back. We're always looking to do something for the county. Life is not all about making, it's also about giving."

Sparkman said a variety of companies and organizations have stepped up to help the tree, including Lahaina's Brothers Landscaping Services, which cleaned out under the tree over the weekend at no charge.

"They want to do it because it's the right thing to do and it also gives them closure," Sparkman said.

He said one of the weekend crewmembers told him working on the banyan tree made him both "sad and glad."

Sparkman also credited Jonny Klassen from Brew Hut LLC for applying nourishing compost tea to the ground around the banyan, and the Lahaina Restoration Foundation and Lahaina Rotary clubs for their generous support.

Sparkman was joined by Big Islander Beth Goodwin, an advisor with ePlant, Wednesday to chart the progress of the portion of the tree sporting healthy green leaves and showing promise of survival. Goodwin was checking the array of wireless electronic sensors she has placed in the tree. She said readouts from the healthy section continue to be encouraging.

Original plans called for downed portions of the tree to be chipped on site and spread as compost. Sparkman said twig borer concerns forced a change. The fragile state of the tree precludes adding more challenges, such as an influx of insect borers. Limbs will now be chipped and removed, with fresh compost delivered and spread.

Once all the dead sections have been cut away and the banyan has stabilized, Sparkman said grafts collected from its limbs are to be planted around the square to recapture its former footprint. There is hope the vertical starts can be shaped to join the surviving trunks. Thus far, there have been 10 air layers made, with seven harvested and three still forming roots in the canopy. Sparkman said the starts are growing in pots around the island and have been named in honor of Maui people, including Ernie Rezents and Puanani Lindsey.

* Staff Writer Matthew Thayer can be reached at mthayer@mauinews.com

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