Verified source report
This US island is home to flora found nowhere else. Now, a wildfire threatens extinction: ‘watching with trepidation’
Firefighters are racing to douse flames on Santa Rosa Island as experts express concern for survival of its unique habitat On the south-eastern corner of Santa Rosa Island lies a grove of a few thousand Torrey pine trees, some of them more than 250 years old . The only other place on earth where these gnarled pines exist is in San Diego county, but biologists classify the two groves as different subspecies. So when a rare wildfire broke out on Santa Rosa Island late last week, firefighters raced to keep it from spreading into the grove, where it threatened to consign the island’s Torrey pines to extinction. So far, they appear to be succeeding – even as the 18,000-acre fire has torched nearly one-third of the island’s surface. But biologists who have studied Santa Rosa Island’s unique ecology are watching anxiously as the fire continues to burn a part of the island that is home to six pl
What happened
According to The Guardian’s source item, This US island is home to flora found nowhere else. Now, a wildfire threatens extinction: ‘watching with trepidation’, Firefighters are racing to douse flames on Santa Rosa Island as experts express concern for survival of its unique habitat On the south-eastern corner of Santa Rosa Island lies a grove of a few thousand Torrey pine trees, some of them more than 250 years old . The only other place on earth where these gnarled pines exist is in San Diego county, but biologists classify the two groves as different subspecies. So when a rare wildfire broke out on Santa Rosa Island late last week, firefighters raced to keep it from spreading into the grove, where it threatened to consign the island’s Torrey pines to extinction. So far, they appear to be succeeding – even as the 18,000-acre fire has torched nearly one-third of the island’s surface. But biologists who have studied Santa Rosa Island’s unique ecology are watching anxiously as the fire continues to burn a part of the island that is home to six pl
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Global file for readers following international affairs, institutions, conflict, diplomacy, economics, and cross-border consequences. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-23T13:00:28+00:00.
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Source
Primary source: This US island is home to flora found nowhere else. Now, a wildfire threatens extinction: ‘watching with trepidation’ via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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Source links
- This US island is home to flora found nowhere else. Now, a wildfire threatens extinction: ‘watching with trepidation’The Guardian - 2026-05-23T13:00:28+00:00
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