If You Need A Small Dose Of Hope, Landmark Maui Banyan Tree, Damaged In Wildfire, Is Sprouting Leaves

New leaves are starting to sprout on a giant banyan tree
on Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. The huge tree was badly damaged
in an August wildfire that destroyed the town. All the leaves
on the trees had been burned off. 

When disaster get extreme, you always want to find some small glimmer of hope. 

Such is the case in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. The city was pretty much destroyed by an August wildfire, which killed at least 97 people. In the center of town is an enormous banyan tree, the largest in the United States. 

The tree was badly burned and scorched in the fire, losing all of its leaves. Many wonder whether it will survive. 

The Washington Post gives us that glimmer of hope: They report it is sprouting a few fresh green leaves. 

As WaPo reports:

"Volunteers have been working toward the banyan's recovery for weeks, carefully tending to its soil, monitoring it for sigs of growth and providing it with what they call 'tree-loving soup' Hawaii Magazine reported earlier this month". 

I guess if you're sick, chicken soup is the cure. If a banyan tree is badly damaged in a fire, it needs nourishing soup, too. The soup for the banyan tree is a concoction of nutrients landscape contractor Chris Imonti created to feed the huge, hurting tree. 

The banyan was planted in 1873 to mark the 50th anniversary old the first Protestant mission in Lahaina. 

I hope to see photos of this Maui treasure fully leafed out in the months ahead.