Whitebark pine and white pine blister rust in British Columbia, Canada

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 1265-1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Zeglen
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Mortality Incidence

A survey of the health of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) was conducted throughout its range in British Columbia, Canada. Over 3 years, 24 070 trees were examined for mortality, incidence of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch.), or other damage. About 19% of whitebark pine (>1.3 m in height) were dead, and another 31% had active blister rust infections. Tests of relationships between the proportion of healthy, infected, or dead trees and elevation, latitude, and longitude produced mixed results. The ratio of healthy to infected whitebark pine varies considerably across the province, with a trend of increasing incidence from west to east. Losses to mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) proved minor, but bark stripping by mammals was common. Whitebark pine seedlings (<1.3 m in height) revealed lower rates of mortality (11%) and rust infection (4%) than larger trees. However, the pioneer species whitebark pine was found in less than half the regeneration plots and was usually outnumbered by subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.). The combination of mature tree mortality, lack of suitable substrate for regeneration, and the incursion of climax species indicates a continued decline in whitebark pine populations in British Columbia.

Distribution and severity of white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle on whitebark pine in British Columbia

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1051-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Campbell ◽  
Joseph A Antos
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
The United States ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

A major decline in the abundance of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) has recently occurred in the United States, primarily as a result of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch. ex Raben.). However, no information on the status of whitebark pine in British Columbia, Canada, was available. We sampled 54 subalpine stands in British Columbia, examining all whitebark pine trees within plots for evidence of blister rust and mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk.) damage. About 21% of all whitebark pine stems were dead, and blister rust was the most important agent of mortality. Of all living trees sampled, 27% had obvious blister rust infection (cankers), but actual incidence was suspected of being as high as 44% (using all evidence of blister rust). Blister rust incidence and whitebark pine mortality were significantly related to differences in stand structure and the presence of Ribes spp., but relationships with local climate and site variables were absent or weak. The lack of strong relationships with climate suggests favourable conditions for the spread of the disease throughout most of British Columbia. Very little evidence of mountain pine beetle was found. Overall, the prospects for whitebark pine in British Columbia do not appear good; a large reduction in population levels seems imminent.

scholarly journals Whitebark pine mortality related to white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle outbreak, and water availability

Ecosphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Shanahan ◽  
Kathryn M. Irvine ◽  
David Thoma ◽  
Siri Wilmoth ◽  
Andrew Ray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Availability ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

Changes in white pine blister rust infection and mortality in limber pine over time

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 919-928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyndi M. Smith ◽  
David W. Langor ◽  
Colin Myrholm ◽  
Jim Weber ◽  
Cameron Gillies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Pinus Flexilis ◽  
Limber Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
Pine Beetle

Limber pine (Pinus flexilis E. James) is under threat from white pine blister rust (WPBR), mountain pine beetle, drought, and fire suppression across its range in western North America. In 2003–2004, we established 85 plots to assess the mortality and incidence of WPBR on limber pine, and remeasured them in 2009. Infection was evident in 74% of the plots in 2003–2004 and 88% of the plots in 2009. The proportion of dead trees increased from 32% in 2003–2004 to 35% in 2009. The percentage of live trees infected increased from 33% in 2003–2004 to 43% in 2009. Mean live limber pine basal area in 2009 ranged from 0.03 to 77.8 m2/ha per plot. Twenty (24%) of the plots had no seedlings in the first measurement, but only 15% in the second measurement. Seedling infection was low (8% in 2003–2004 and 4% in 2009). In 12 plots that were measured three times, mortality increased from 30% of all trees in 1996 to 50% in 2003, then decreased to 46% in 2009. Infection decreased from 73% of live trees in 1996 to 46% in 2003, then increased to 66% in 2009. High mortality and infection levels suggest that the long-term persistence of many limber pine populations in the southern part of the study area are in jeopardy, and continued monitoring is needed to assist with management decisions.

scholarly journals Whitebark and Foxtail Pine in Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks: Initial Assessment of Stand Structure and Condition

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan C.B. Nesmith ◽  
Micah Wright ◽  
Erik S. Jules ◽  
Shawn T. McKinney
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Foxtail Pine

The Inventory & Monitoring Division of the U.S. National Park Service conducts long-term monitoring to provide park managers information on the status and trends in biological and environmental attributes including white pines. White pines are foundational species in many subalpine ecosystems and are currently experiencing population declines. Here we present results on the status of whitebark and foxtail pine in the southern Sierra Nevada of California, an area understudied relative to other parts of their ranges. We selected random plot locations in Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks using an equal probability spatially-balanced approach. Tree- and plot-level data were collected on forest structure, composition, demography, cone production, crown mortality, and incidence of white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle. We measured 7899 whitebark pine, 1112 foxtail pine, and 6085 other trees from 2012–2017. All factors for both species were spatially highly variable. Whitebark pine occurred in nearly-pure krummholz stands at or near treeline and as a minor component of mixed species forests. Ovulate cones were observed on 25% of whitebark pine and 69% of foxtail pine. Whitebark pine seedlings were recorded in 58% of plots, and foxtail pine seedlings in only 21% of plots. Crown mortality (8% in whitebark, 6% in foxtail) was low and significantly higher in 2017 compared to previous years. Less than 1% of whitebark and zero foxtail pine were infected with white pine blister rust and <1% of whitebark and foxtail pine displayed symptoms of mountain pine beetle attack. High elevation white pines in the southern Sierra Nevada are healthy compared to other portions of their range where population declines are significant and well documented. However, increasing white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle occurrence, coupled with climate change projections, portend future declines for these species, underscoring the need for broad-scale collaborative monitoring.

The influence of white pine blister rust on seed dispersal in whitebark pine

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1044-1057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn T. McKinney ◽  
Diana F. Tomback
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Infection Level ◽  
Successional Stage ◽  
Seed Predator ◽  
Seed Survival ◽  
Blister Rust

We tested the hypotheses that white pine blister rust ( Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch.) damage in whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) stands leads to reduced (1) seed cone density, (2) predispersal seed survival, and (3) likelihood of Clark’s Nutcracker ( Nucifraga columbiana (Wilson, 1811)) seed dispersal. We gathered data from two sets of paired forest sites in the Bitterroot Mountains of eastern Idaho and western Montana that were similar in topography, canopy structure, tree species composition, and successional stage, but differed in rust infection level, crown kill, and tree mortality. We counted initial (mid-July) and final (late August) seed cones, observed vertebrate seed predator activity, and documented nutcracker seed dispersal in study sites in 2001 and 2002. High-rust sites had higher rates of seed predation relative to cone abundance, lower predispersal seed survival, and fewer observations of nutcracker seed dispersal than paired low-rust sites. These findings suggest that as blister-rust-induced damage increases within stands in the Bitterroot Mountains, the likelihood of nutcracker seed dispersal decreases. We propose that whitebark pine in heavily rust-damaged forests may not self-regenerate and would therefore require planting of seeds or seedlings from genetically rust-resistant trees.

scholarly journals Effects of Disturbance on Tree Community Dynamics in Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) Ecosystems

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Amberson ◽  
Megan Keville ◽  
Cara Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Pinus Albicaulis ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Tree Community ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.), an ecologically important tree species in high-elevation ecosystems of western North America, is threatened by white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola Fischer) and increased pressure from mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) due to climate warming. In addition, there is concern that fire suppression may be leading to successional replacement of whitebark by late-seral trees. Despite widespread knowledge that the tree is in decline, there is limited understanding of its successional dynamics, particularly in forests disturbed by white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle. Our objective was to examine how disturbances have affected forest composition, structure, and seedling regeneration over a 22-year period (1990–2012) at 19 sites in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State (USA). Over that time, 13 sites (68%) were infected by white pine blister rust, 11 (58%) were disturbed by mountain pine beetle, and 5 (26%) experienced wildfire. Tree community composition changed significantly during the study period, primarily due to significant mortality of mature (≥20-cm diameter at breast height) whitebark pine. Despite loss of mature whitebark trees, we found little evidence of successional replacement by other tree species. Whitebark seedling density was unrelated to basal area of mature whitebark pine, but positively correlated with the presence of herb and shrub cover. Our results demonstrate the value of long-term repeated measurements for elucidating successional dynamics.

scholarly journals Climatic Correlates of White Pine Blister Rust Infection in Whitebark Pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 666 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Thoma ◽  
Erin K. Shanahan ◽  
Kathryn M. Irvine
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Rust Infection ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

Whitebark pine, a foundation species at tree line in the Western U.S. and Canada, has declined due to native mountain pine beetle epidemics, wildfire, and white pine blister rust. These declines are concerning for the multitude of ecosystem and human benefits provided by this species. An understanding of the climatic correlates associated with spread is needed to successfully manage impacts from forest pathogens. Since 2000 mountain pine beetles have killed 75% of the mature cone-bearing trees in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and 40.9% of monitored trees have been infected with white pine blister rust. We identified models of white pine blister rust infection which indicated that an August and September interaction between relative humidity and temperature are better predictors of white pine blister rust infection in whitebark pine than location and site characteristics in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The climate conditions conducive to white pine blister rust occur throughout the ecosystem, but larger trees in relatively warm and humid conditions were more likely to be infected between 2000 and 2018. We mapped the infection probability over the past two decades to identify coarse-scale patterns of climate conditions associated with white pine blister rust infection in whitebark pine.

scholarly journals Compounding effects of white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle, and fire threaten four white pine species

Ecosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan C. Dudney ◽  
Jonathan C. B. Nesmith ◽  
Matthew C. Cahill ◽  
Jennifer E. Cribbs ◽  
Dan M. Duriscoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
White Pine Blister Rust ◽  
White Pine ◽  
Blister Rust ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Pine Species
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