A wildfire that began with a flare from a shipwrecked sailor has burned nearly one-third of Santa Rosa Island, reaching a grove of Torrey pines—trees found naturally in only two places worldwide. Fire crews reported the blaze passing through the pine grove are
For Greg Pauly, the maps told the story before the fire crews could. On Monday, as the wildfire crept across Santa Rosa Island, it moved into the Torrey pine grove—one of the last places in the world where the critically endangered trees still grow naturally.
Pauly, a curator of herpetology at the L.A. County Museum of Natural History who has studied the Channel Islands for 14 years, said he was “devastated” when he saw the fire was reaching the Torrey pines. “This is one of only two Torrey pine populations left in the world,” he said.
The National Park Service said the blaze, sparked by a flare from a shipwrecked sailor, has burned through nearly one-third of Santa Rosa Island. It also reached the Torrey pine grove located on the east side of the island.
The extent of the damage to the nation’s rarest pine tree species remains unclear. But on Monday. the fire passed through the pine grove area—home to trees more than 250 years old—while burning at a low intensity. the park service said. When fire crews did an initial assessment, they observed the stand of trees remained largely intact.
Park service public information officer Sierra Frisbie said Tuesday evening that it is likely the grove retained some heat and that isolated pockets of fire may have continued within it. Drones will be used to perform a more in-depth assessment of the condition of the Torrey pines on Wednesday. she said.
What happens to the grove matters because the Torrey pine is not just rare—it is genetically isolated. The park service said the critically endangered Torrey pine tree only grows naturally in two places worldwide: a state park near San Diego and on Santa Rosa Island. It said 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.
The island tree grows shorter and bushier. with thicker bark and rounder cones than the mainland tree. the park service said. That same isolation. officials said. can leave the island population more vulnerable to environmental threats such as drought. a new disease. or pests compared with a tree species with a more diverse gene pool.
Until the recent fire, park service studies had indicated the island population was thriving.
Fire’s effects will likely spread beyond the trees. Santa Rosa Island is also home to a lizard species found on three of the Channel Islands. a spotted skunk endemic to two Channel Islands. a unique island fox subspecies. and several uncommon birds. Time will tell how the blaze disrupts the island’s unique ecosystem.
Pauly said he was especially concerned about how the loss of vegetation could affect insects that midlevel predators rely on for food. and about the cover insects use and places predators need for shelter. He also raised concerns about whether burned ground could worsen erosion and contribute to silt accumulation in streams when winter rain storms arrive.
By Tuesday, firefighters appeared to be getting traction on the remote, rugged terrain. Frisbie said winds diminished, allowing crews to make multiple water and fire-retardant drops using large air tankers—including a modified Boeing 737 capable of dropping up to 4,000 gallons in a single pass.
By Tuesday evening, the park service said firefighters had reached 26% containment on the 16,942-acre blaze. Gusty winds had initially kept firefighting aircraft grounded, and two historic buildings were destroyed early in the response: Johnson’s Lee Equipment Shed and the Wreck Line Camp Cabin.
Because the island is difficult to access. crews had to wait for boats to transport personnel and firefighting equipment to the fire area. Additional reinforcements are scheduled to arrive Wednesday. including a crew from the Chumash Fire Department and specially designed wildland fire engines that will help increase access to rugged parts of the island.
Santa Rosa Island fire Torrey pine critically endangered National Park Service Sierra Frisbie shipwrecked sailor wildfire containment Channel Islands ecosystem Greg Pauly