Santa Rosa Island Wildfire Expected to Cause Significant Torrey Pine Mortality; Conservation Efforts Underway
The National Park Service estimates that 60 to 80 percent of Santa Rosa Island's Torrey pines are expected to die following the largest wildfire in Channel Islands National Park history. The fire, which started on May 15, burned almost 40 percent of the island, covering 18,379 acres, and was not fully contained until June 4. The Torrey pine, considered the rarest native pine in the United States and critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, grows naturally in only two locations: Santa Rosa Island and Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego. The Santa Rosa Island subspecies is distinct, being shorter, broader, and bushier with thicker bark and blue-gray needles. Initial assessments after the fire suggested the pines were largely intact, but further evaluation by a Burned Area Emergency Response team revealed extensive damage, including scorched crowns and root systems, and a lack of sap production in most fire-damaged trees. This indicates that the mature Torrey pi... 
