Mapping Regional Distribution of a Single Tree Species: Whitebark Pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

TRANSITION PROBABILITIES: Whitebark Pine and Blister Rust in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) plays an integral role in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). It has been often referred to as a keystone species due to the extensive changes that the ecosystem would undergo if the species were to be lost. Attributed to white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) infection and mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae), the decline of the whitebar...

Climate influences on whitebark pine mortality from mountain pine beetle in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Extensive mortality of whitebark pine, beginning in the early to mid-2000s, occurred in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) of the western USA, primarily from mountain pine beetle but also from other threats such as white pine blister rust. The climatic drivers of this recent mortality and the potential for future whitebark pine mortality from mountain pine beetle are not well understood, y...

A Comparison of Fire Regimes and Stand Dynamics in Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) Communities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Clark’s Nutcracker Breeding Season Space Use and Foraging Behavior

Considering the entire life history of a species is fundamental to developing effective conservation strategies. Decreasing populations of five-needle white pines may be leading to the decline of Clark's nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana). These birds are important seed dispersers for at least ten conifer species in the western U.S., including whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), an obligate mutu...

Complex Challenges of Maintaining Whitebark Pine in Greater Yellowstone under Climate Change: A Call for Innovative Research, Management, and Policy Approaches

Climate suitability is projected to decline for many subalpine species, raising questions about managing species under a deteriorating climate. Whitebark pine (WBP) (Pinus albicaulis) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) crystalizes the challenges that natural resource managers of many high mountain ecosystems will likely face in the coming decades. We review the system of interactions am...