Santa Rosa Island fire burns through rare Torrey pine grove. But there's hope for the endangered tree

A wildfire on Santa Rosa Island burned through nearly one-third of the island, including the Torrey pine grove on the east side. Torrey pines naturally grow only in two places worldwide: a state park near San Diego and Santa Rosa Island, where one location is affected by fire. The blaze passed through the grove, which contains trees older than 250 years. Initial assessments found the stand largely intact because the fire was burning at low intensity. The grove likely retained some heat and had isolated pockets of fire. Drones will be used to assess tree conditions more deeply. The island Torrey pine is genetically distinct due to thousands of years of isolation, making it shorter and bushier with thicker bark and rounder cones, and potentially more vulnerable to drought, disease, and pests.

"The critically endangered Torrey pine tree only grows naturally two places in the world - a state park near San Diego and on Santa Rosa Island - and one of those places is on fire. A wildfire sparked by a flare from a shipwrecked sailor has burned through nearly one-third of Santa Rosa Island, including the Torrey pine grove located on east side of the island, according to the National Park Service."

"On Monday, the blaze passed through the pine grove area, which is home to trees that are more than 250 years old, according to the park service. Fortunately, the fire was burning at a low intensity at the time, and when fire crews performed an initial assessment, they observed that the stand of trees remained largely intact, according to the park service."

"It is likely that the grove retained some heat and isolated pockets of fire, park service public information officer Sierra Frisbie said Tuesday evening. Drones will be used to perform a more in-depth assessment of the condition of the Torrey pines on Wednesday, she noted."

"Thousands of years of genetic isolation have made the island pine a distinct subspecies from the trees found in Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego, according to the park service. The island tree is shorter and bushier, its bark thicker and its cones rounder than the mainland tree. This genetic isolation also makes the island tree more vulnerable to environmental threats - such as drought, a new disease or pests - as compared to a tree species with a more diverse gene po"

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