Common endangered species

A scene just 20min walk from my place in Victoria, Australia. There are probably more of these Pinus radiata Moneterey Pine trees within an hour's trek of my place than in all of the USA.

In North America:

Pinus radiata, also known as the Monterey Pine, is threatened in its (very limited) native range in the US, California, by excessive clearing and the introduced disease Pine Pitch Canker. The strain that lives on Guadalupe Island is critically endangered due to grazing by feral goats which have prevented new seedlings from surviving until recently, when the goats were finally exterminated. Forests containing Monterey Pine are also home to many other native species including rare orchids.

In Australia: (shown above)

Pinus radiata is known more commonly as the Radiata Pine and is the most commonly-grown plantation timber species in the country. Pine plantations occupy more than 1 million hectares of land, much of which was once native forest or agricultural land. These trees have been heavily cultivated to withstand local conditions and for rapid, high yield. It survives so well that it has become an unwanted weed in native forests, and pine plantations also do not support a high diversity of Australian wildlife. Lately, concerns over the effects of inbreeding on its resistance to pests and diseases have led silviculturalists to return to the endangered pines on Guadalupe Island to source for fresh genetic stock.

The oxymoronic conservation status of Pinus radiata has led it to be classed as 'conservation dependent'. Though the species's future is secure because of its economic value, its existence as a plantation tree in Australia does not ensure the survival of rare genetic lineages in North America or provide a habitat for threatened species in California.

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