Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club launches garden grow hub in support of Lahaina reforestation
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club celebrated the opening of the Manaʻolana Garden with a blessing ceremony on Monday, as part of the recovery and reforestation efforts in Lahaina. The grow hub, created in partnership with Treecovery, hosts 125 locally sourced fruit tree saplings that will be replanted in West Maui.
In remarks at the blessing ceremony, Bill Countryman, General Manager at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, emphasized the resort’s commitment to continue assisting those who were impacted by the August 2023 wildfires.
“The Mana‘olana Garden symbolizes hope for a brighter future and our sustained commitment to recovery and ecological revitalization after last year’s devastating wildfires,” said Countryman. “This initiative is not just about replacing the trees we lost last August, it’s also about supporting the ongoing healing process and nurturing hope for a brighter future in West Maui.”
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club joins Royal Lahaina Resort as a Treecovery grow hub, which opened its own Manaʻolana Garden with 100 tree saplings in March 2024. In the coming months, Treecovery is establishing three additional hubs in Kā‘anapali at Hyatt Regency Maui, Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, and The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Kā‘anapali.
Duane Sparkman, Founder and President of Treecovery Hawai‘i, praised the Kāʻanapali resorts and area businesses for their partnership in replacing some of the estimated 25,000 trees on Maui that were damaged or lost in the wildfires.
“The early and enthusiastic backing from Kā‘anapali resorts like The Royal Lahaina and Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club has been instrumental in scaling our reforestation initiatives and the broader ecological renewal of Lahaina,” he said.
Jay Ramos, a wildfire survivor who works at Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club and has a mango tree in the garden, noted how the garden has brightened his outlook.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD“Seeing these saplings brings me a tangible sense of hope and anticipation for the future,” Ramos said. “It’s a powerful reminder that growth and renewal are possible, even after immense loss.”
Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club Manaʻolana Garden is also the temporary home to one of four air layered segments of the historic Lahaina Banyan Tree, which was severely damaged in the 2023 fire. Air layering is a propagation process Treecovery employs to grow new, healthy trees from undamaged parts of burned branches. Even if the main tree does not recover, air layering may save pieces that could be replanted for future generations to enjoy.
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