“A lot of these lands, former sugarcane and pineapple lands, the majority of them are sitting fallow,” Thorne said. “There’s no management whatsoever.” One nonnative species — guinea grass — can grow 6 inches in a day, according to Walker, the fire protection forester, who spoke about the problem during an April videoconference. When burned, guinea… Continue reading How Maui’s unchecked grasses became ‘a ticking bomb’ for wildfires