A Range-Wide Restoration Strategy for Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A Range-Wide Restoration Strategy for Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) write by U.s. Department of Agriculture. This book was released on 2012-10-19. A Range-Wide Restoration Strategy for Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) forests are declining across most of their range in North America because of the combined effects of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks, fire exclusion policies, and the exotic pathogen Cronartium ribicola, which infects five-needle white pines and causes the disease white pine blister rust. The loss of this high-elevation tree species poses serious consequences for upper subalpine ecosystems, both in terms of impacts on biodiversity and losses in ecosystem processes; whitebark pine is now a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Large, nutritious seeds produced by whitebark pine are an important food for many bird and small mammal species, as well as grizzly (Ursus arctos horribilis) and black bears (Ursus americanus), and whitebark pine communities provide habitat for many additional wildlife species. Whitebark pine seed dispersal by Clark's nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) combined with hardy seedlings results in early whitebark pine community development after fire and other disturbances; whitebark pine seedlings survive on harsh, arid sites and may act as nurse trees to less hardy conifers and vegetation. Whitebark pine at higher elevations, where it is common in many regions, helps regulate snow melt and reduce soil erosion. For these collective functions, whitebark pine is considered both a keystone species for promoting community diversity and a foundation species for promoting community stability. Since more than 90 percent of whitebark pine forests exist on public land in the United States and Canada, it is important that government natural resource management agencies play an important role in ensuring future presence of this tree species by initiating concerted, coordinated, and comprehensive restoration efforts. This is best accomplished through a coordinated, trans-boundary restoration strategy that includes shared infrastructure and expertise for conserving seeds, growing blister rust-resistant seedlings, protecting trees, restoring ecosystem processes, and promoting natural regeneration. We detail a multi-scale strategy for restoring whitebark pine across its range in the western United States and Canada. The strategy was compiled by researchers, land managers, and resource specialists for use as a reference for prioritizing, designing, and implementing successful whitebark pine restoration activities across many scales from stands to landscapes to its entire range. The whitebark pine restoration strategy consists of the following principles: (1) promote rust resistance, (2) conserve genetic diversity, (3) save seed sources, and (4) employ restoration treatments. These guiding principles are then used to implement the whitebark pine restoration strategy using a set of possible actions: 1. assess condition, 2. plan activities, 3. reduce pest impacts, 4. gather seed, 5. grow seedlings, 6. protect seed sources, 7. implement restoration treatments, 8. plant burned areas, 9. support research, and 10. monitor activities. The strategy is also organized by six spatial scales of analysis and organization: 1. range-wide, 2. region (National Forest Region or Provincial Regions), 3. forest (National Forest, National Park, and Canadian Forest District), 4. landscape (watershed or landform), 5. stand, and 6. tree. At each scale, we present four important factors in the restoration strategy: (1) assessment, (2) restoration actions, (3) management concerns, and (4) an example. Strategic restoration plans are presented for the coarse-scale strategies, while illustrated examples are presented for the finer scales (tree, stand, and landscape).
Whitebark Pine Communities
Whitebark Pine Communities - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Whitebark Pine Communities write by Diana F. Tomback. This book was released on 2001. Whitebark Pine Communities available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Whitebark pine is a dominant feature of western high-mountain regions, offering an important source of food and high-quality habitat for species ranging from Clark's nutcracker to the grizzly bear. But in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada, much of the whitebark pine is disappearing. Why is a high-mountain species found in places rarely disturbed by humans in trouble? And what can be done about it.Whitebark Pine Communities addresses those questions, explaining how a combination of altered fire regimes and fungal infestation is leading to a rapid decline of this once abundant -- and ecologically vital -- species. Leading experts in the field explain what is known about whitebark pine communities and their ecological value, examine its precarious situation, and present the state of knowledge concerning restoration alternatives. The book. presents an overview of the ecology and status of whitebark pine communities offers a basic understanding of whitebark pine taxonomy, distribution, and ecology, including environmental tolerances, community disturbance processes, regeneration processes, species interactions, and genetic population structure identifies the threats to whitebark pine communities explains the need for management intervention surveys the extent of impact and losses to dateMore importantly, the book clearly shows that the knowledge and management tools are available to restore whitebark pine communities both locally and on a significant scale regionally, and it provides specific information about what actions can and must be taken.Whitebark Pine Communities offers a detailed portrait of the ecology of whitebark pine communities and the current threats to them. It brings together leading experts to provide in-depth information on research needs, management approaches, and restoration activities, and will be essential reading for ecologists, land managers, and anyone concerned with the health of forest ecosystems in the western United States.
Effects of Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Restoration Treatments on the Distribution of Bark Beetle Attacks
Effects of Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Restoration Treatments on the Distribution of Bark Beetle Attacks - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Effects of Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Restoration Treatments on the Distribution of Bark Beetle Attacks write by Kristen M. Baker. This book was released on 2000. Effects of Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Restoration Treatments on the Distribution of Bark Beetle Attacks available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle.
The Effects of Seed Source Health on Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Regeneration Density After Wildfire
The Effects of Seed Source Health on Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Regeneration Density After Wildfire - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Effects of Seed Source Health on Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Regeneration Density After Wildfire write by Signe B. Leirfallom. This book was released on 2015. The Effects of Seed Source Health on Whitebark Pine (Pinus Albicaulis) Regeneration Density After Wildfire available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) populations are declining nearly rangewide from a combination of factors, including mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, 1902) outbreaks, the exotic pathogen Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch. 1872, which causes the disease white pine blister rust, and successional replacement due to historical fire exclusion practices. With high mortality in cone-bearing whitebark pine, seed production may not be sufficient to support natural regeneration after disturbance such as wildfire. Our objective was to examine the relationship between whitebark pine seed source health and whitebark pine regeneration density in adjacent burns. We sampled regeneration and seed source health in 15 burns within six national forests and three Wilderness Areas in Montana, ranging from 5 to 23 years old. We found a significant, positive relationship between seed source health and seedling density in adjacent burns. Natural regeneration was sparse when the proportion of damaged or dead whitebark pine in the seed source exceeded 50%. Factors that influenced the presence of whitebark pine regeneration within a burn included both vegetation cover and potential solar radiation. Sites closer to seed sources had higher probabilities of seedling occurrence, but seedlings were present throughout most burns. Our results suggest that managers can prioritize restoration plantings of whitebark pine seedlings after wildfire based on the health status of the nearest seed sources.
Forest Structure, Health, and Mortality in Two Rocky Mountain Whitebark Pine Ecosystems
Forest Structure, Health, and Mortality in Two Rocky Mountain Whitebark Pine Ecosystems - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Forest Structure, Health, and Mortality in Two Rocky Mountain Whitebark Pine Ecosystems write by Carl E. Fiedler. This book was released on 2014. Forest Structure, Health, and Mortality in Two Rocky Mountain Whitebark Pine Ecosystems available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) forests in western North America are increasingly threatened by the exotic pathogen white pine blister rast (Cronartium ribicola J.C. Fisch.). Whitebark pine is designated a high priority species on the candidate list of Endangered or Threatened species, spurring activity to monitor the rast infection and develop restoration strategies. We surveyed two major whitebark pine ecosystems (Northern Divide Ecosystem [NDE], including Glacier National Park, and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem [GYE], including Yellowstone National Park) to quantify stand density, structure, species composition, blister rust infection, and mortality. We compared ecosystems based on these variables and suggest alternative restoration strategies. Overall stand densities were similar between the two ecosystems; however, NDE forests had only 79 live whitebark trees ha-1 compared to 274 in the GYE. Rust infection, crown kill, and mortality were all significantly greater in NDE forests. Nearly 75% of all whitebark trees in the NDE were dead, and approximately 90% of the remaining whitebark were infected with rust. These high infection and mortality levels suggest that planting rust-resistant whitebark seedlings should be a high-priority restoration strategy in the NDE. Conversely, nearly 30% of large seed-bearing whitebark remain uninfected in the GYE, indicating that avian seed dispersal should be reasonably dependable during good cone years in that ecosystem. Our study preceded a recent bark beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) epidemic, and provides a comparison of rust-infected whitebark communities in two major ecosystems under virtually beetle-free conditions, and establishes a baseline for assessing impacts of beetles in the future.
