Whitebark pine vulnerability to climate change induced mountain pine beetle disturbance in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2010 ◽  
pp. 100319061507001
Author(s):  
Jesse Logan ◽  
William Mcfarlane ◽  
Louisa Willcox
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Greater Yellowstone

Climate influences on whitebark pine mortality from mountain pine beetle in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 2507-2524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Polly C. Buotte ◽  
Jeffrey A. Hicke ◽  
Haiganoush K. Preisler ◽  
John T. Abatzoglou ◽  
Kenneth F. Raffa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Greater Yellowstone ◽  
Climate Influences

scholarly journals Landscape Topoedaphic Features Create Refugia from Drought and Insect Disturbance in a Lodgepole and Whitebark Pine Forest

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cartwright
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Boosted Regression Trees ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Insect Outbreaks ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

Droughts and insect outbreaks are primary disturbance processes linking climate change to tree mortality in western North America. Refugia from these disturbances—locations where impacts are less severe relative to the surrounding landscape—may be priorities for conservation, restoration, and monitoring. In this study, hypotheses concerning physical and biological processes supporting refugia were investigated by modelling the landscape controls on disturbance refugia that were identified using remotely sensed vegetation indicators. Refugia were identified at 30-m resolution using anomalies of Landsat-derived Normalized Difference Moisture Index in lodgepole and whitebark pine forests in southern Oregon, USA, in 2001 (a single-year drought with no insect outbreak) and 2009 (during a multi-year drought and severe outbreak of mountain pine beetle). Landscape controls on refugia (topographic, soil, and forest characteristics) were modeled using boosted regression trees. Landscape characteristics better explained and predicted refugia locations in 2009, when forest impacts were greater, than in 2001. Refugia in lodgepole and whitebark pine forests were generally associated with topographically shaded slopes, convergent environments such as valleys, areas of relatively low soil bulk density, and in thinner forest stands. In whitebark pine forest, refugia were associated with riparian areas along headwater streams. Spatial patterns in evapotranspiration, snowmelt dynamics, soil water storage, and drought-tolerance and insect-resistance abilities may help create refugia from drought and mountain pine beetle. Identification of the landscape characteristics supporting refugia can help forest managers target conservation resources in an era of climate-change exacerbation of droughts and insect outbreaks.

scholarly journals Studies of Parasitic Wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Association with Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 81-90
Author(s):  
Larry Haimowitz ◽  
Scott Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Parasitoid Wasps ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽  
Local Diversity ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Greater Yellowstone ◽  
New Distribution

A survey of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Grand Teton National Park reveals undiscovered (but not unexpected) diversity, as well as changes in diversity associated with the bark beetle epidemic and the unusually warm, dry year. Our 2012 survey found nearly the same number of Braconidae subfamilies (18 vs 19) as a 2002 survey (Shaw 2002); a remarkable amount of diversity given that the 2002 survey was based upon five times as many specimens. Eleven species found in this study are new distribution records for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), which points to much undiscovered local diversity. Differences from previous studies are possibly due to the unusual warmth and dryness of spring 2012, along with some influence from beetle kill. We provide a list of parasitoids and predators associated with mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), a stepping stone for further research to determine the role of natural enemies in bark beetle outbreak dynamics in the GYE.

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 The Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic in the Black Hills, South Dakota: The Consequences of Long Term Fire Policy, Climate Change and the Use of Remote Sensing to Enhance Mitigation

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Mullen ◽  
Fei Yuan ◽  
Martin Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Black Hills ◽  
Fire Policy ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Ponderosa Pine Forest

The recent and intense outbreak (first decade of 2000s) of the mountain pine beetle in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, which impacted over 33% of the 1.2 million acre (486,000 ha) Black Hills National Forest, illustrates what can occur when forest management practices intersect with natural climatic oscillations and climate change to create the “perfect storm” in a region where the physical environment sets the stage for a plethora of economic activities ranging from extractive industries to tourism. This study evaluates the potential of WorldView-2 satellite imagery for green-attacked tree detection in the ponderosa pine forest of the Black Hills, USA. It also discusses the consequences of long term fire policy and climate change, and the use of remote sensing technology to enhance mitigation. It was found that the near-infrared one (band 7) of WorldView-2 imagery had the highest influence on the green-attack classification. The Random Forest classification produced the best results when transferred to the independent dataset, whereas the Logistic Regression models consistently yielded the highest accuracies when cross-validated with the training data. Lessons learned include: (1) utilizing recent advances in remote sensing technologies, most notably the use of WorldView-2 data, to assist in more effectively implementing mitigation measures during an epidemic, and (2) implementing pre-emptive thinning strategies; both of which can be applied elsewhere in the American West to more effectively blunt or preclude the consequences of a mountain pine beetle outbreak on an existing ponderosa pine forest. 

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