Secret mission saves rare prehistoric trees from Australia bushfires A secret operation led by specially trained firefighters has saved the last of a rare Dinosaur-era tree species from the Australia bushfires. The Wollemi pine trees, once thought to be extinct, have grown in Australia for over 200 million years and now number less than 200. The mission had to be kept a secret in order to keep the trees' location under wraps due to their fragile nature.