santa cruz cypress

This species grows only in a 16 km2 (6.2 mi2 or 3954 acres) stretch of land in California. Within this range are five different localities with stands of the trees. The range covers parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. Historically, the populations had a much larger range, covering at least 76 km2 (30 mi2 or 19,200 acres). The estimated total population is less than 300 individuals, but abundance varies between localities. Some stands of the cypress only have a few individuals left. One exceedingly rare type, the Butano cypress, exists in only one grove, of about 10 acres. This grove was described by William Dudley in the early 1900s. All of the adult trees died during the CZU Lightning Complex fires in 2020. Thousands of young Butano cypress seedlings were found growing in the grove in 2022.

The reproductive age of the Santa Cruz cypress is on average 11 years of age. Seed viability falls to 10 percent by the time a tree is 30 years old. Like some other coniferous trees, the seed-bearing cones of the Santa Cruz cypress depend on fire to heat open the cone and release the seeds. The fires burn the vegetation in the area, including the parent tree. The seeds of the cypress are then able to germinate without the competition of other plants in the area.