Aussie Firefighters Save World's Only Groves Of Prehistoric Wollemi Pines

"It was a lifesaving mission as dramatic as any in the months-long battle against the wildfires that have torn through the Australian bush.

But instead of a race to save humans or animals, a specialized team of Australian firefighters was bent on saving invaluable plant life: hidden groves of the Wollemi pine, a prehistoric tree species that has outlived the dinosaurs.

Wollemia nobilis peaked in abundance 34 million to 65 million years ago, before a steady decline. Today, only 200 of the trees exist in their natural environment — all within the canyons of Wollemi National Park, just 100 miles west of Sydney.

The trees are so rare that they were thought to be extinct until 1994."

Laurel Wamsley reports for NPR January 16, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"The Secret Quest To Save The Last Wild ‘Dinosaur Trees,’ Once Nearly Extinct, From Australian Fires" (Washington Post)