In #Montana, a Tribally Led Effort to Restore the #WhitebarkPine

Not just a keystone species for the #ecosystem, the tree is also a cultural keystone. Can it come back from the brink?

By Sarah Mosquera
June 5, 2024

"Across the North American West, giant, ancient, gnarled whitebark pines grow along mountain ridges where practically no other tree can survive. Although these trees have been known to thrive for hundreds or even a thousand years, they have faced an accelerated decline for nearly a century. In fact, across much of the northwest, dead whitebark pines outnumber live ones. According to a 2018 study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, the tree’s population has declined by up to 90 percent in certain areas, including on the lands of the Confederated #Salish and #Kootenai Tribes.

"The whitebark pines play a considerable role in the region: They are a keystone species in high-elevation ecosystems. Over 100 species rely on the tree for food, shelter, and the habitat it provides, including squirrels, grizzly bears, and birds like the well-known Clark’s Nutcracker. The trees also contribute to ecosystem stability by preventing soil erosion and regulating water flow.

"Maintaining the trees, then, is vital. And on the #FlatheadIndianReservation in western Montana, which contains some 110,000 acres of whitebark pine habitat, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, known as #CSKT, are fighting to protect and restore this iconic and ecologically important species, ensuring its survival for future generations.

"The epicenter of the decline in northern Montana, according to Diana Tomback, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Colorado, Denver, includes part of the Flathead Indian Reservation. 'That area has the highest blister rust infection rates and mortality of any other part of whitebark pine’s range.'

"#WhitePineBlisterRust, an invasive #fungus brought over from Europe in the early 20th century, is one of the main reasons for the whitebark pine’s steep decline. The rust causes cankers that disrupt the flow of water and nutrients within the tree, killing it. Another threat, infestations of mountain pine beetles, have been on the rise — a trend that is influenced by increasing temperatures. Mountain pine beetles used to be limited to lower elevations, but a warmer climate has allowed them to climb up to the whitebark pine’s habitat.

[...]

"The Tribes are working towards cultivating and planting 187,000 whitebark pine trees within the Flathead Indian Reservation. In November 2023, the CSKT received a nearly $3.5 million grant through the America the Beautiful Challenge for their work, which will help support various ecological initiatives, such as whitebark pine restoration and the development of a skilled conservation workforce."

Read more:
https://undark.org/2024/06/05/montana-cskt-restore-whitebark-pine/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

#NativeAmericanTraditions #Ecology #SaveTheTrees

Good article on the current status of whitebark pine and the efforts to restore the species . . .

Sitting atop the highest slopes in western North America, the whitebark pine has adapted to the continent’s harshest growing conditions. Temperatures in the sub-alpine zone where it thrives are often well below zero, snow is measured in feet and winds often exceed 100 miles an hour. These stout, twisted trees are survivors: The oldest have grown for nearly 13 centuries.

But change has come to this high-elevation redoubt, threatening not only the whitebark pine’s survival but that of a host of creatures — from birds to bears — that rely on this keystone species. Warmer temperatures, a fungal disease called white pine blister rust, and swarms of mountain pine beetles have killed hundreds of millions of whitebark pines across the West. Wildfires are taking an increasing toll, and other conifer species are moving upslope in the rapidly changing environment, outcompeting the whitebark for nutrients and moisture.

In some areas, including regions within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which has Glacier National Park at its center, more than 90 percent of whitebark pine trees have died. Across the tree’s range, there are more dead trees than live ones, and high-country skylines in many places are marked by their skeletal remains.

Continue reading . . .

https://www.gravel.org/2024/01/27/the-whitebark-pine-is-in-trouble-can-it-be-saved/

#whitebarkPine

Is this a sign of hope?
Is this a sign of false hope?
#Hiking #ClimateChange #WhiteBarkPine

The best news for one of my favorite trees. I’ve walked through graveyards of Whitebark Pines in the Mount Rose Wilderness - I’ve watched some of my very personal favorite trees die just over two summer seasons. I love a Clark’s Nutcracker dip flying along an alpine slope with their kraaks and squalls calls. This listing is for so many species, not just a tree - whole ecosystems.

#ESA #WhitebarkPine #EndangeredSpecies

https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2022-12/whitebark-pine-receives-esa-protection-threatened-species