Should We All Be Helping Trees Relocate?
Torrey pines seem like they could use some human help. According to the U.S. Forest Service, they are the rarest pine species in North America, with fewer than 10,000 trees growing in the wild. They’re split between Santa Rosa Island, off California’s southern coast, and a small state forest perched on the coastal bluffs just north of San Diego. Battered by the sea wind and salty air, they can take on beautiful sculptural shapes resembling bonsai trees; they’re also threatened by bark beetles, drought, air pollution, and fire, and are barely reproducing.
