The critically endangered Torrey pine only grows naturally in two places in the world – a state park near San Diego and Santa Rosa Island – and one of those places is burning.
A wildfire sparked by a wrecked sailor has burned about a third of Santa Rosa Island, including the Torrey pine grove on the island’s east side, according to the National Park Service.
The extent of the damage done to the country’s rare pine tree species is unclear. But there is reason for hope.
On Monday, the fire moved through the pine forest, 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 firefighters did an initial check, they saw that the trees’ position had not changed, according to the park service.
The forest may have retained heat and pockets of fire, public information officer Sierra Frisbie said Tuesday night. Drones will be used to conduct a thorough survey of the condition of the Torrey pines on Wednesday, he noted.
“I was saddened yesterday when I saw the maps of where the fire reached the Torrey pines,” said Greg Pauly, curator of zoology at the LA County Museum of Natural History who has studied the Channel Islands for 14 years. This is one of only two Torrey pine figures left in the world.
Thousands of years of genetic differentiation have turned the island’s pine into a variety of trees found at Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego, according to the park service. The island tree is short and stocky, its bark is thicker and its trunks are rounder than the country tree.
This genetic isolation also makes the island tree more vulnerable to environmental threats – such as drought, new disease or pests – compared to a tree species with a more diverse genetic makeup.
That’s why the park service carefully monitors the health of Torrey pines. Until the recent fire, research had shown that the islands’ population was thriving, according to the park service.
Santa Rosa Island is also home to a species of lizard found in three Channel Islands, a skunk found in two of the Channel Islands, a unique island subspecies of the fox subspecies and several rare birds.
Time will tell how much the fire has affected the island’s ecosystem.
Pauly, who specializes in reptile and amphibian research, said he is particularly concerned about how the loss of vegetation will affect the availability of predators and hiding places for large predators. He also expressed concern about whether the fire damage will lead to increased erosion and silt accumulation in streams when rain storms arrive this winter.
Firefighters appeared to be turning a corner in their challenging battle in the wild and rugged terrain on Tuesday. The winds subsided, and crews were able to apply more water and fire retardant drops to the fire, using large air tanks like a modified Boeing 737 that can drop up to 4,000 liters at a time.
As of Tuesday evening, firefighters were 26% contained to the 16,942-acre fire, according to the park service.
High winds initially prevented the use of firefighting aircraft, and two historic buildings were quickly destroyed – Johnson’s Lee Equipment Shed and the Wreck Line Camp Cabin. Crews also had to wait for boats to take crews and firefighting equipment to the island.
Additional reinforcements are expected to arrive Wednesday, including personnel from the Chumash Fire Department and specially designed wildland fire engines, which will help increase access to rugged parts of the island.
