A Fire-Resilient Landscape Guide for Lahaina and West Maui

Surfrider Foundation, Pacific Fire Exchange, and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, have released Re-planting After Fire: A Fire-Resilient Landscape Guide for Lahaina & West Maui — a new, free resource created specifically for the Lahaina and West Maui community.

Designed for residents rebuilding and re-establishing their landscapes after the 2023 Maui wildfires, the guide offers clear, practical, and locally relevant strategies for fire-resilient landscaping. It focuses on actionable steps — including appropriate plant selection, thoughtful site planning, and ongoing maintenance — that can help create defensible space around homes and reduce wildfire risk at the neighborhood scale.

While tailored to West Maui and the recovery efforts, this guide’s site planning and maintenance information is applicable to anyone living in Hawaiʻi.

The 2023 Maui wildfires forever shifted our community’s experience with fire. Many lost loved ones, homes, businesses, and their sense of safety and security, especially in Lahaina. This wildfire was part of an alarming pattern where fires are becoming more frequent, more intense and traveling further into urban areas.

While natural disasters often leave communities feeling powerless, wildfire risk is one area where individual and collective actions can make a meaningful difference. With informed landscaping choices and coordinated community efforts, residents can help reduce the likelihood that homes and neighborhoods ignite when wildfires occur.

To support community learning and discussion, Surfrider Foundation, Pacific Fire Exchange, and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization will host a free public webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 12 p.m. HST, providing an overview of the guide, practical tips for implementation, and time for audience questions.

Resources

• The Re-planting After Fire guide is available now at: https://maui.surfrider.org/frlg
• Register for the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/f1Z2ODEQTeeZPF7sGEQOPQ#/registration