Monterey County Reforestation - Pine Forests On The Monterey Peninsula

Pine Forests On The Monterey Peninsula

A patchwork pine forests grow across the Monterey Peninsula in California, creating a rich green habitat that delights residents and visitors alike. Although the locally native Monterey Pine - Pinus radiata tree species is widely grown in landscapes and on plantations in the Western Hemisphere of Northern America, the native Monterey Pine ecosystem is one of the rarest forest ecosystems in the world. Only a few thousand acres of the endemic trees exist in four locations along the Pacific Ocean on the Central Coast of California. The Monterey Peninsula is home to the largest of these stands, but the trees there are threatened by impacts from development, non-native invasive species, and disease.

The local Monterey pine forest provides numerous benefits to the region’s economy, from its intrinsic beauty that attracts tourists, to recreational settings for residents and visitors, to valuable ecological services, such as watershed protection and enhanced air quality. However, except for a few small sites and the Point Lobos State Reserve, much of the remaining forest is not protected within conservation areas. According to The Monterey Pine Forest Watch, “Half of our native forest has already been removed” and “Much of the remaining forest is in private hands and subject to development.”