Water-bomber planes and air tankers encircled the area, located inside Wollemi National Park, spreading flame retardant. Contrary to its name, the Wollemi pine is not really a pine tree. ADThe stand in Wollemi National Park, Brookhouse said, is like a cluster of 200 identical siblings that have transcended time. The Wollemia nobilis was common across Australia from more than 100 million years ago to about 60 million years ago. But as the continent dried out while drifting north, about 30 million years ago, the trees started to disappear.

Source: Washington Post January 16, 2020 12:11 UTC