The Surfrider Foundation is excited to announce the launch of our new digital resource, Re-planting After Fire: A Fire-Resilient Landscape Guide for Lahaina & West Maui. Created in partnership with Pacific Fire Exchange (PFX), the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), and other expert contributors, this guide is designed to help residents create and maintain landscapes that are fire-resilient, environmentally responsible, and ocean-friendly.
The 2023 Maui wildfires forever shifted the Lahaina & West Maui community’s experience with fire. Many lost loved ones, homes, businesses, and their sense of safety and security. The Palisades and Altadena fires in Southern California in early 2025 were another devastating reminder of the need for more proactive, fire-resilient action, and again raised concerns of how urban fires can impact coastal water quality.
With wildfires becoming more frequent, more intense, and increasingly able to push into urban areas, community-level fire-resilient landscaping is essential for safeguarding communities, healthy ecosystems, and clean water resources.
This resource was created in response to the clear community need for simple, practical, and locally relevant guidance on fire-resilient landscaping. While the plant recommendations in the resource are tailored to Lahaina & West Maui, the broader concepts of fire-resilient landscaping apply to seasonally dry climates across Hawaiʻi and beyond.
The guide includes:
- How fire spreads & locally relevant context
- The Home Ignition Zone & practical tips for each zone
- Maintenance Matters: keeping it “Lean, Clean, & Green”
- Waterwise tips & planning for rain
- What makes a plant a more “fire-resilient” choice
- A fire-resilient plant list selected for West Maui & Lahaina
- Example landscape layouts
Post-fires, there has been a lot of confusion, misinformation, and fear around plants and landscapes near homes and structures. But removing all plants and trees and paving surfaces in the name of "reducing fuels" can actually work against our goals of fire-resilience. We need hydrated, healthy landscapes and watersheds to be prepared for future fire events and climate extremes.
With the right plants, smart planning, and simple maintenance, we can work together to reduce the chances that our homes and neighborhoods burn when wildfires occur. One yard may seem small, but when neighbors work together and use fire-resilient landscaping principles, it strengthens protection for the entire community.
Please join us in sharing this resource with your friends, family, and neighbors -- let's grow a more fire-resilient future together.
Save the Date: Virtual Webinar + Q&A
Tuesday, January 27th 2026
12PM - 1:30PM HST
During this webinar, we will walk through the resource together with Pacific Fire Exchange, Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens Program, and Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization. There will be plenty of time for questions and feedback, and we are looking forward to hearing from the community and connecting with you all!