Not quite the Monterey pine

We tend to call it by its scientific name, Pinus radiata, or just radiata pine, but it also has a more romantic sounding name, the Monterey pine, which gives away its coastal California origins. Pinus radiata is the cornerstone species of New Zealand’s exotic forest industry: 90 percent of exotic forest plantations are Pinus radiata and Pinus radiata plantations cover nearly 6% of our land. Escaped Pinus radiata trees are among the tree species known as wilding pines, they’re considered invasive and a threat to biodiversity, and millions of dollars are spent each year trying to eradicate them. Contrast that with the fact that the original Monterey pine’s natural range is pretty limited and the species is regarded as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. That doesn’t mean New Zealand has a vast reservoir of a species endangered elsewhere in the world: modern, forested radiata pine trees are the result of selective breeding favouring our growing conditions and the needs of the forestry industry. Cultivated Pinus radiata is quite different from what’s found in isolated pockets along the Pacific coast of North America.