Status of white pines across five western national park units: Initial assessment of stand structure and condition, revised October 2021
Reilly MJ, Nesmith JC, Smith SB, Stucki DS, Jules ES. 2022. Status of white pines across five western national park units: Initial assessment of stand structure and condition, revised October 2021. Natural Resource Report. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/nrr-2288668
This report is a republish with one change: the first author's name was changed in the citation on page ii from "Matthew, J. R." in the previous version to "Reilly, M. J." in this version. Species of white pine play an essential ecological role in high elevation forests of western North America. These species, particularly whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), limber pine (P. flexilis), and foxtail pine (P. balfouriana), are of special concern due to recent declines and mortality associated with native and invasive insects and pathogens and changing climatic conditions. This report synthesizes the results of a monitoring program for these three species of white pines across five national park units in northern and central California, southern Oregon, and central Idaho. This program provides baseline data collected between 2011 and 2017. Whitebark pine, the most geographically widespread of the study species, was sampled in Crater Lake National Park (CRLA) and Lassen Volcanic National Park (LAVO) from 2012 to 2014, and from 2013 to 2017 in Yosemite National Park (YOSE) and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (SEKI). Limber pine populations were sampled in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Reserve (CRMO) from 2011 to 2013. Foxtail pine populations were sampled in SEKI from 2013 to 2017. Live and dead trees (<1.37 m DBH) of all species were measured and identified in a series of 50 x 50 m plots. Additional observations on cone production, crown kill, regeneration, and the incidence and severity of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) and mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) were recorded for each species. Live and dead structure varied by species and among park units. The structure and composition of whitebark pine habitats were variable and plots often included shade tolerant species at relatively high densities. Limber and foxtail pines were generally found at lower density and with fewer other species, but foxtail pines reached the largest sizes and highest levels of basal area of all three taxa. Whitebark pine snags in CRLA and LAVO were associated with white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle and occurred at much higher densities than in SEKI or YOSE. Mountain pine beetle was also observed in foxtail and limber pine, but snags of these species were relatively rare and crown kill was generally very low. Regeneration was generally low but varied among species. The findings of this study provide a baseline documenting geographic patterns and condition of three species of high elevation white pines and associated mechanisms for comparison with other studies of these taxa.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Reilly, Matthew; Nesmith, Jonathan; Smith, Sean; Stucki, Devin; Jules, Erik
- Date of Issue
- 2022-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/nrr-2288668
- Units
- CRLA , CRMO , KLMN , LAVO , NRSS , SEKI , SIEN , UCBN , YOSE
- Keywords
- Blister Rust, climate change, foxtail pine, high elevation forests, high-elevation forest monitor, limber pine, mountain pine beetle, white pine, Whitebark pine, whitebark pine monitoring
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex