A new grove dedicated to the Torrey pine tree opened at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden on Friday, which will allow the endangered species to continue to grow and thrive.

The new grove is located just around the corner of the Pritzlaff Conservation Center, down a small hill.

There are currently 45 Torrey pine trees planted in the grove. The new plantings are only about a foot tall, but could grow up to be taller than 100 feet in the right conditions.

Keith Nevison, the director of horticulture and operations, said the grove is the culmination of work funded by the U.S. Forest Service and the American Public Gardens Association.

The botanical garden was provided with a grant that allowed staff to go to Santa Rosa Island to collect pine nuts from Torrey pine trees on the island.

“We then took those to our nursery, we propagated them and grew them up to a nice pot size,” Nevison told Noozhawk. “Then they got installed in December of this past year.”

Torrey pines are the rarest species of trees in the world — growing only on Santa Rosa Island and at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego County.

Nevison said the trees have been under threat over the years, especially on Santa Rosa Island. Ranchers populated the island with grazing animals that damaged the population.

At one point, there were only 100 Torrey pine trees left on the island, according to Nevison. They began to make a comeback when locals removed the animals from the island.

The trees also have faced challenges from droughts, fires and beetles.

Although the trees are still small, Nevison encourages residents to see them now. He said they could double in size over the next year and grow to anywhere between 25 and 30 feet tall in the next 10 years.

“This really is an investment in the future,” Nevison said. “And of course, it’s just intrinsic to the botanic garden’s mission to educate people about the health and protection of native species for the health and benefit of people in the planet.”

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden celebrated the opening of the Torrey Pine Conservation Grove on Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring members of the organization’s board and local elected leaders.

The new grove coincides with the botanical garden’s 100th anniversary, which the garden celebrated on Monday.

Assemblyman Gregg Hart awarded the garden with a legislative resolution on behalf of his office and California State Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón.

Hart stated that the botanical garden is crucial to understanding sustainability and environmental protection. He added that it was “deeply reassuring” to know the garden has been there for 100 years and will be there for 100 more.

“(It will be) probably even more critical in its next 100 years than it has been in the past,” Hart told the crowd. “I (feel) a great sense of pride and accomplishment, (and) I know you all do, too.”

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee also presented the garden with a resolution from the Board of Supervisors.

Steve Windhager, the garden’s executive director, said the garden will be celebrating its centennial anniversary all year by hosting events. The opening of the Torrey pine grove is serving as the kickoff for the rest of the year.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors must make a reservation to tour the garden, and the last reservation time is 4 p.m. every day.

Guests can make reservations on the garden’s website.