Lahaina Fire Recovery Tree Giveaways and Plantings
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This project focus on community-based disaster recovery and urban reforestation designed to support the long-term recovery of Lahaina following the devastating August 8, 2023, Maui wildfires. Organized by The Outdoor Circle in partnership with Treecovery, the project focuses on restoring Lahaina’s lost urban canopy through large-scale tree up-potting events that prepare fruit- and food-producing trees for future planting throughout the community. The effort responds not only to the loss of more than 21,000 trees in Lahaina, but also to broader concerns about climate resilience, food insecurity, heat reduction, and community healing in the aftermath of one of the deadliest and most destructive disasters in Hawaiʻi’s history.
The event takes place at the Royal Lahaina Resort and involve volunteers transplanting young trees from smaller nursery containers into larger pots so they can continue growing at Treecovery’s grow hub until damaged areas of Lahaina are ready for replanting. Species selected for the project are based on community surveys and include a wide variety of citrus, avocado, mango, breadfruit, lychee, mountain apple, banana, macadamia nut, and other edible trees intended to strengthen both the urban forest and local food resilience. The event also serves as a major public engagement and educational opportunity, beginning with a traditional Hawaiian blessing, followed by cultural and environmental presentations about Lahaina’s recovery, and tree care instructions.
Beyond the immediate planting effort, the project is intended to demonstrate how urban forestry and green infrastructure can play a central role in disaster recovery and long-term community resilience. Trees are an essential form of green infrastructure that provide cooling, stormwater management, carbon sequestration, food production, public health benefits, and emotional restoration for affected communities. This initiative is scalable and collaborative, involving volunteers, local nonprofits, cultural practitioners, arboricultural expertise, and future maintenance planning to ensure long-term success.
The event takes place at the Royal Lahaina Resort and involve volunteers transplanting young trees from smaller nursery containers into larger pots so they can continue growing at Treecovery’s grow hub until damaged areas of Lahaina are ready for replanting. Species selected for the project are based on community surveys and include a wide variety of citrus, avocado, mango, breadfruit, lychee, mountain apple, banana, macadamia nut, and other edible trees intended to strengthen both the urban forest and local food resilience. The event also serves as a major public engagement and educational opportunity, beginning with a traditional Hawaiian blessing, followed by cultural and environmental presentations about Lahaina’s recovery, and tree care instructions.
Beyond the immediate planting effort, the project is intended to demonstrate how urban forestry and green infrastructure can play a central role in disaster recovery and long-term community resilience. Trees are an essential form of green infrastructure that provide cooling, stormwater management, carbon sequestration, food production, public health benefits, and emotional restoration for affected communities. This initiative is scalable and collaborative, involving volunteers, local nonprofits, cultural practitioners, arboricultural expertise, and future maintenance planning to ensure long-term success.
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