Whitebark pine is dwindling in Northern Rockies

The future of the whitebark pine, one of the most distinctive trees of the northern Rocky Mountains, is in doubt. Brett French of the Billings Gazette writes, "Fungus, beetles, climate change and a lack of fire have all contributed to the species' decline across high-altitude landscapes in the Northwest."
(State of Montana photo)

The tree has been listed as a species at risk in Canada and a species of concern in western Washington. A recent survey of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem fount that the of the whitebark pines being monitored since 2002, 56 percent have died.

Protecting the trees has proved difficult. "Part of the problem in studying ways to restore whitebark pine is that much of its habitat is in high mountain terrain, much of which is in roadless or wilderness areas where aggressive restoration such as planting, treating trees with chemicals to fight off fungus or beetles and setting fires to clear land for seedlings is not allowed," French reports.

The loss of the whitebark pine will have several consequences. Not only do the seeds of the tree provide an important food source for grizzly bears, keeping them at higher elevations and reducing their chances of run-ins with humans, but "The trees stall mountain snowmelt, providing streams with water longer into the summer," French notes. "They stabilize the soils on steep ground, exposed high ridge tops where they grow, reducing erosion." (Read more)