Closed Coniferous Forest along the coast near Del Mar is the mainland habitat of the Torrey Pine. This is a vestigial tree which survives at Torrey Pines State Park where fogs often create a much more mesic climate than elsewhere in coastal San Diego County. Loamy alluvial land of the Huerhuero complex, Terrace Escarpments, and to a lesser extent Corralitos loamy sand are mapped for the state park lands where this pine flourishes.
Fire is an omnipresent threat as is beetle damage following drought years.
Nearby peripheral populations outside of the preserve occur on private lands and are sometimes endangered by development. Del Mar. This pine is widely planted in the region as an ornamental. Occasionally planted stands will generate seedlings such as on the northwestern slope of Carmel Mountain and near Oak Crest Park in Encinitas. Variety insularis is reported growing naturally on Santa Rosa Island with a sizeable forest on the south shore of Beechers Bay. A Data Base report notes a small stand in Box Canyon near the southeast anchorage for Santa Rosa Island.