Sierra Nevada Network white pine monitoring: 2015 annual report

Nesmith, Jonathan

Five-needle white pines (Family Pinaceae, Genus Pinus, Subgenus Strobus), and in particular whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), limber pine (P. flexilis), and foxtail pine (P. balfouriana) are foundational species in upper subalpine and treeline forests of several National Park Service Pacific West Region parks, including Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI) and Yosemite National Park (YOSE). The Sierra Nevada Network Inventory & Monitoring Program, in collaboration with the Klamath Network and the Upper Columbia Basin Network have implemented a joint long-term monitoring protocol to assess the current status and future trends in high elevation white pine communities. Key demographic parameters within white pine forest communities will be estimated by monitoring individual trees within permanent plots through time. This report documents the results of the 2015 field season, which is the fourth year of monitoring in SEKI and YOSE. The 2015 goal was to complete installation of the first of three rotating panels (Panel 1) and perform the first re-read of previously installed plots in this panel for each species-park population: YOSE-whitebark pine, SEKI-whitebark pine, and SEKI-foxtail pine. Each panel consists of 12 permanent 50 x 50 m (2,500 m2) plots that were randomly selected for each of the three populations. Thus, there will be a total of 36 whitebark pine plots in YOSE, 36 whitebark pine plots in SEKI, and 36 foxtail pine plots in SEKI. Data from plot surveys will be used to characterize white pine forest community dynamics in SEKI and YOSE, including changes in tree species composition, forest structure, forest health, and demographics. This marks the first year where previously installed plots have been re-measured to track changes in white pine populations through time. Parameters estimating rates of change are not reported in this report, however, as currently only a small subset of Panel 1 plots have been visited twice. In addition, 2015 was the first year of data collection for a separate but related project to examine changes in white pine blister rust severity and distribution within SEKI. The SIEN forest crew collaborated with a separate USGS field crew to collect data on both projects while working in SEKI. The results of that project are not included in this report. In total, the crew visited 40 sites during the 2015 field season and completed installation or re-reads of 28 Panel 1 plots. Species composition, forest structure, and factors affecting tree health and reproduction including incidence and severity of white pine blister rust (WPBR), caused by Cronartium ribicola, mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) infestation, dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.) infection, canopy kill, and female cone production were recorded. In YOSE, we re-measured ten whitebark pine plots, rejected two, and installed two additional plots to complete work in Panel 1. In the twelve YOSE Panel 1 whitebark pine plots, 1,908 live whitebark pine trees and 607 other conifers were sampled. Signs of white pine blister rust or dwarf mistletoe were not found, but there was one live whitebark pine that showed symptoms of mountain pine beetle activity. The average number of live whitebark pine trees per plot was 159 (SD = 171). Twenty percent of live whitebark pine trees produced female cones. Whitebark pine seedling regeneration, averaged 1,265 (SD = 3,766) seedlings per hectare. This was largely driven by one krummholz plot that contained 107 seedlings within the nine seedling plots. Nine of the 12 plots contained whitebark seedlings. In SEKI, we installed six Panel 1 whitebark pine plots, re-measured one, and rejected two others. Due to the Rough Fire, which disrupted fieldwork in KICA, two other whitebark pine plots in Panel 1 were not installed and three others that had been fully or partially installed in 2013 or 2014 were not re-measured.

Sierra Nevada Network white pine monitoring: 2015 annual report

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