Whitebark Pine Conservation Program 2022 Annual Report

Heisler, Scott; Hooke, Jennifer

Major activities of Crater Lake National Park’s Whitebark Pine Conservation Program in 2022 supported the park’s goals and objectives for conserving and restoring whitebark pine as outlined in the park’s Whitebark Pine Conservation Plan. One hundred and twenty-nine trees were subject to annual Collection tree monitoring efforts. This monitoring detected mortality of five Collection trees, three new blister rust infections, and seven new mountain pine beetle attacks (three of these attacks were non-fatal). Sixty-two whitebark pines of management importance were treated with verbenone to help ward off attack by the mountain pine beetle. Results from the park’s long-term monitoring plots indicate that whitebark pine is continuing its decline within plot areas, as mature whitebark pine have been reduced by 32.1% from 2003-2022. The park’s six whitebark pine restoration plantings were monitored with survival rates ranging from 38.8-75.9% six to thirteen years after planting. A guide for whitebark pine pollen cone phenology monitoring and collection was developed, and pollen collection methodology was pilot tested on five trees. Ten high-value Collection trees underwent a competition release treatment resulting in a total of 58 competing conifers being removed from their driplines.

Whitebark Pine Conservation Program 2022 Annual Report

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