in the area. The Santa Cruz cypress have evolved to be dependent on these fires for reproduction. The trees are obligate seeders, meaning they do not regenerate after burning up in a fire. Instead, the seeds germinate after the fire to minimal competition. They are then able to regenerate and grow the population. If fires are too frequent, seedlings will not be able to reach reproductive age. If fires are too infrequent, the trees do not reproduce often enough to maintain population size. Distribution This species grows only in a 16 km2 (6.2 mi2 or 356 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. Conservation status The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the Santa Cruz cypress to the Red List in 1998 as endangered. In 2011, the IUCN updated the listing to critically endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added the Santa Cruz cypress to the United States' Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1987, listing it as endangered. In 2009, a 5-year review recommended the status lower from endangered to threatened. Following petitions from local cattle and agricultural organizations and reconsideration of the review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reclassified the tree as threatened in 2016. Current population threats Alteration of fire regimes The modern habitat of the Santa Cruz cypress no longer experiences fires at its natural frequency. Without disturbances like fire, the trees undergo little population growth and decreasing reproduction. Existing trees become post-reproductive and no longer produce viable seeds. Human-created fires can occur too often, destroying immature trees before reaching reproductive age. The U.S. Fishing and Wildlife Service cited the altered fire regime as one of the