Fire, birds, bears and trees: conservation and restoration of a high mountain resource

Publication Type:

Magazine Article

Authors:

Morgan, Penny

Source:

Sage Notes, Idaho Native Plant Society, Volume 23, Issue 1, p.10-12 (2001)

Call Number:

U01MOR01IDUS

Abstract:

You've seen the beautiful twisted "grandmother" trees near your favorite alpine lake or ski run. Whitebark pine trees grow on dry, windy, and cold sites, as well as in mixed stands with lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, and Engelmann spruce. They dominate at tree line, often providing protection for other trees to establish. Their broad crowns act as snow fences, helping to slowly release water into high mountain streams, prolonging the flow of ephemeral streams into the summer and thus providing water to the valleys far below. White bark pine is a keystone species of subalpine forest ecosystems, providing watershed protection, scenic value, and food for wildlife, including the Clark's nutcracker and black and grizzly bears. Whitebark pine is functionally extinct in more than a third of its range. The combined effects of the introduced white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle have created "ghost forests" over extensive areas at high elevations in Idaho and Montana. This trend has been accelerated with fire exclusion and advancing succession. In and around Glacier National Park, approximately 30% of the whitebark pine trees are dead, and of the remaining live trees, about 70% are infected with blister rust; these have an average of 25% crown kill. There is moderate or high whitebark pine mortality across 61% of the subalpine forest landscapes in the 600,000-ha Bob Marshall Wilderness area. White pine blister rust is a Eurasian fungus that was introduced to the Pacific Northwest in 1910, while the mountain pine beetle is native. The mortality rate from these two pests is high. In Montana, 42% of all whitebark pine trees on permanent plots died between 1971 and 1992.