I live in San Diego and absolutely love these trees. I wish the cities around here used them more for landscaping as they grow nice and big. Sea World has a couple of groves of Torrey Pines; one inside the park and one at the intersection of Ingraham and Prez Cove.
In the last 2 years or so, the beetles have done a terrible number in the area :(. Parts of the nearby extension reserve have been devastated almost like a microcosm of the Ponderosa/Sugar Pine die-offs in the Sierras. It is heart-wrenching! However, if you see them in yards and business districts, they can reach up to and occasionally over 80'-100' tall!
Lovely video, bought myself some Torrey pine seeds, thought I’d do some research on them. I’m in LA, not too far from SD but still,it’s so cool to grow trees that are exclusive to a certain area.
these trees actually have their closest relatives as the foothill pine (found in the mountains of northern california), and the coulter pine (dominant species in the soouthern californian mountains and the heaviest known pine cones), which gives a lot more context to their appearance, location and large cones Also, the low average temperatures mean lower evaporation which is another reason they can thrive so well along with the native oak trees
@@ApeManI’m wondering what nursery sells Torrey pine trees? Or even seeds? I live in zone 9 central Florida and would really like to plant some. In sandy soil too. They would be irrigation also for them. If they would like.
I grew up in San Diego and enjoyed Torrey Pines Reserve as a kid!! I also remember you mentioning similarities to Coulter and Gray (Digger) Pine. In fact, the Torrey Pines are in the same subsection of Pines as they are. Despite the 5-needle bundles, Torrey Pine is in fact a Yellow Pine, subsection Ponderosae, along with Gray, Coulter, Jeffrey, Ponderosa, Washoe Pine, Arizona Pine and others.
I don't get into those areas too often as I spend most of my hiking time in the Sierra. I came across my first Coulter Pine a few years ago at lake Arrowhead and of course was amazed by the cones! Most people don't take notice of the trees while out hiking like we do. I hope to enhance people's enjoyment by getting them to smell the Jeffrey Pines along the way. Thanks for the interesting input!
I love seeing the trees and shrubs, and the my love for hiking is a by-product of it! I have to say the same about going to the Sierra, as I live in Orange County, Ca, and have a hard time getting enough time off from work to hike there. I was elated to see Red Fir and Western White Pine the couple times I did get to visit the Southern Sierra. I am also trying to get vacation time to hike Sirretta Peak in Tulare County this year and see Southern Foxtail Pine for the first time! However, I do hike in the San Gabriel Mountains by L.A. very often, and the summer air is rich with the sweet scent of Jeffrey Pine, as it is the most common conifer there. Sugar Pine and White Fir are also abundant. Ponderosa Pine is scattered there, being more common in the San Bernardino Mountains to the east. Sierra Lodgepole Pine and Limber Pines are found generally above 8,000' in those mountains as well. Gray Pines are frequent in far northeast Los Angeles County near Grapevine in the Sierra Pelona Mountains. Your videos are awesome.
Sirretta Peak sounds like an awesome hike. You are in for a treat. The Foxtail Pines are another of my favorites. Their adaptations for growing in harsh places makes them a very interesting tree and their snags are just beautiful. Of course the foxtail appearance is because they retain their needles for many years as a way to save resources. The finest stands I have found are just over Cottonwood Pass from the horseshoe meadows trailhead which isn't too far from you. Also the backside of Mt Whitney to Forester Pass is loaded with pure stands as well. It takes a hike to see them so I haven't gotten around to making a video yet but it's coming. You have good taste in trees. The Western White Pines intrigue me because they tend to grow in solitude among other trees and they just stand out with their massive trunks for their size. Another southern hike I enjoy is the hike up Telescope peak in Death Valley. Lots of Limber Pines. You have been to the Bristlecone Pine forest above Bishop to see the oldest trees in the world? It's all Bristlecone and Limber. That is an amazing place.
Sherman Pass in Tulare County is a great place to see Red Fir/Western White Pine as well. I went there once back in 2016, and it is something I will never forget!! I haven't been to the Panamint and White Mtns yet, but definitely want to see the Bristlecones and maybe do a hike to White Mtn Peak, and to Telescope! If you ever go back to Southern California for any hikes, you should hike Mt. Baden-Powell in the San Gabriel Mountains outside of L.A. There are old growth Limber Pines and a great forest of Lodgepole Pine above 8,000'!! The Sugar and Jeffrey Pines are not too shabby as well. Just as with any species, the Limber Pines can actually get rather tall (50'-60') tall in less exposed, forest conditions, as there are some tall specimens mixed in with Lodgepole Pine and White Fir near Throop Peak, about 4 miles from Mt. Baden-Powell.
Thanks for the tips. I'm pretty spoiled with the Northern Sierra an hour from my house. It's cool to see the different flora and fauna of the southern California mountains though. My daughter recently moved to San Diego. Know any good hikes down there?
Sounds like this guy made this video after a few daiquiris at the golf course. The Torrey pine is a majestic and endangered species that deserves a more accurate synopsis. Correct, it is rare to only this targeted North La Jolla area but also common around San Diego due to bird and human propagation and the protection of the trees. It also exists on Santa Rosa Island which is interesting. I used to exist everywhere in between, but the specific natural growing habitat of the pinus torreanna has been dwindling for many reasons- changes is climate, landscape and undoubtedly, costal development and the influence of foreign invaders such as the Engraver Bark Beetle. A large part of the coastal erosion at Torrey Pines reserve is due to a lack of strong root systems due to dead and dying trees. I hope our bankrupt state park system can pull their heads out of their ass and work toward preserving these wonders.
Thanks for the info; very interesting. TBH I never realized Torrey Pine was a specie, just thought it was a name of a community (and golf course) there. (don’t judge me)
Thanks for watching. I'm a tree nerd as well as a hiking nerd. Cypress point golf course at Pebble Beach also really has Cypress trees and one of the most photographed trees in the world.
I am a hiker and a tree nerd too! Thanks for putting these videos together. I've been to Point Lobos, haven't made it down as far as Torrey's yet, but hope to someday!
"Ape", seems we're becoming quite some correspondents of each other! I've seen some grand Torreys, just West of the Bison Paddock in Frisco's Golden Gate Park. These have grown--some of them--over 100 Feet tall, and they somewhat resemble Jeffreys, with their broad, pagoda-shaped crowns, and that they've started taking on those distinctive alligator-/crocodile-hide metallic bark plates--a tawny green, though. By the way, have you ever summited Sequoia National Park's Alta Peak? I did, way back in '73. Pretty much of ALL of Giant Forest, was MY realm, back then, and I could find plenty of corners, therein, that weren't tourist-infested, just me and my "big red friends" (The Sequoias). Did you know that in the UK, they prefer to call these, Wellingtonias (in honor of Napoleon's nemesis, The Duke of Wellington)? They may also want to call our Coastal Redwoods, Thatcher Trees, in honor of PM Margaret Thatcher! A good thing they didn't want to call 'em, D'Israeli or Balfour Trees, then we'd really be mixed up!
