Biologists and conservationists were saddened by the news that the mother tree, the last mature håyan lågu tree in Guam, suffered significant damage from Typhoon Mawar.

Located on the limestone cliffs of northern Guam, she suffered the worst of the storm as it passed through the Rota channel on May 24, 2023.

According to Lauren Gutierrez, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Marianas supervisory conservation specialist supporting MCB Camp Blaz, the Serianthes nelsonii tree was not uprooted by typhoon Mawar’s destructive winds but recovery is uncertain.

While the main trunk is still standing, the branches making up her canopy were snapped off by the intensity of Mawar’s cyclonic winds. Her seedlings growing next to the limb-less trunk will be nurtured and protected from insects and other pests by natural resource specialists.