Whitebark Pine Conservation Program

Beck, Jen

This project record contains information related to Crater Lake National Park's Whitebark Pine Conservation Program. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) has been declining throughout Crater Lake National Park for decades due to mortality and damage from white pine blister rust, caused by the non-native pathogen Cronartium ribicola. Additional climate change-related threats, especially mortality caused by the mountain pine beetle, have emerged that are hastening the demise of whitebark pine in Crater Lake National Park and throughout the native range of this trees species. A recent finding (2011) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that listing whitebark pine as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act is warranted but precluded by higher priority work has heightened awareness of the need for conserving this species. Whitebark pine remains a Candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. A formal whitebark pine conservation strategy, the Whitebark Pine Conservation Plan, has been developed by Crater Lake National Park outlining specific management goals and objectives for conservation and restoration work within the Park that also align with regional and range-wide strategies for whitebark pine conservation. The goals of the Crater Lake National Park Whitebark Pine Conservation Program are: 1. Facilitate development of blister rust resistance in whitebark pine populations. 2. Protect genetic diversity of whitebark pine through integrated conservation strategies. 3. Increase resiliency and resistance of whitebark pine communities and facilitate adaptation to climate change. 4. Prioritize whitebark pine restoration actions and conduct treatments in areas of highest ecological need. 5. Practice adaptive management by incorporating monitoring and research findings into management actions. 6. Engage the public in whitebark pine conservation through education and outreach.

Whitebark Pine Conservation Program

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