Protocol implementation plan for monitoring white pine in Great Basin National Park: Narrative version 1.0

Hupp, Nicole; Stucki, Devin; Lonneker, Jeff; Lehman, Mark; Wright, Sarah

This Protocol Implementation Plan (PIP) was written through a collaborative effort between two National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Programs, the Mojave Desert Network (MOJN) and the Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN). In 2013, UCBN, the Sierra Nevada Network (SIEN), and the Klamath Network (KLMN) worked together to create a detailed and rigorous long-term monitoring protocol for three white pine species in the West: whitebark, limber, and foxtail pines (McKinney et al. 2013). In this PIP, MOJN and UCBN worked together to apply the objectives and methods of McKinney et al. (2013) to Great Basin National Park (GRBA). Unlike Mckinney et al. (2013), whitebark and foxtail pines are not monitored in this PIP because these species are not present in MOJN parks. However, a different species of white pine, Great Basin bristlecone pine, is present; this PIP is written specifically to monitor limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone in GRBA. This PIP freely uses, without in-line citations, the direct text, ideas, and some products from the protocol on which it is based, McKinney et al. (2013). Funding for this project was provided through the National Park Service Natural Resource Challenge (NPS 1999) and the Service-wide Inventory and Monitoring Program. White pines are not currently monitored in MOJN parks, yet Great Basin National Park (GRBA) contains over ten thousand acres of bristlecone pine and limber pine forest (Cogan et al. 2012). As of December 2017, GRBA included Great Basin bristlecone pine in their Species of Management Concern document due to its vulnerability to climate change, white pine blister rust (WPBR), and possible mountain pine beetle outbreaks. This monitoring PIP will add valuable information to better understand the dynamics of forest ecosystems under modern perturbations in GRBA. The monitoring will add to a growing body of information on WPBR spread and epidemiology within white pine forest communities in a variety of biophysical settings. The objectives of this PIP are to determine status and trends in bristlecone and limber pine forests at Great Basin National Park by measuring: 1. Forest or community composition and structure 2. Tree species birth, death, and growth rates 3. Incidence of white pine blister rust (WPBR) and level of crown kill 4. Incidence of pine beetle and severity of tree damage 5. Incidence of dwarf mistletoe and severity of tree damage 6. Cone production of white pine species This PIP consists of a narrative and a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) which detail the steps required to collect, manage, and disseminate the data representing the status and trend of white pine community dynamics and the condition of associated communities in GRBA. The intent of this PIP is to ensure that a scientifically credible story about the ecological condition of white pine communities and their responses to invasive pathogens, park management actions, changing climate patterns, and other stressors can be shared with park visitors and managers alike. Long-term data sets can contribute to the development of informative models of relationships between white pine community dynamics and key environmental factors and management actions specific to each park.

Protocol implementation plan for monitoring white pine in Great Basin National Park: Narrative version 1.0

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