Santa Rosa Fire Threatens One of the World’s Rarest Pine Forest

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - A wildfire burning across Santa Rosa Island is prompting renewed concern for one of the world’s most limited ecosystems — a fragile grove of Torrey pines found almost nowhere else on Earth.

Early assessments indicate the grove remains largely intact as the fire moves more slowly downhill toward the ocean. But conservation scientists say the event is underscoring how quickly these isolated habitats can be put at risk — and why long-term recovery planning has been underway for years.

“What we worry about when the island burns is whether the soil seed bank will be sufficient to bring back those native plants,” said Heather Schneider with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

The fire is burning near areas where scientists previously collected Torrey pine seeds for conservation and restoration work — part of a broader effort to safeguard the species against catastrophic loss.

“We’ve been building resources and knowledge through years of study to help restore an island after a catastrophic event like this,” said Steve Windhager of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

He said decades of work on the Channel Islands have included biological surveys and seed collection to ensure rare populations are not lost entirely.

“We’ve been working on the islands for over 100 years, doing biological inventory and gathering seed to make sure these populations, even if they experience disaster, aren’t going to disappear from the planet,” Windhager said.

Researchers report that preparation is now proving critical. Seeds from the same Torrey pine grove were collected before the fire and are already stored for potential future restoration.

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