Grand Teton National Park is increasing its efforts to conserve the whitebark pines, a keystone species in the Greater Yellowstone Area, that continue to face numerous threats. The US Fish and Wildlife Service declared the whitebark pine a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act on December 15, 2022, citing several factors like blister rust, mountain pine beetle predation, climate change, and altered fire regimes.
Laura Jones, branch chief for Vegetation Ecology Management at GTNP, explains that whitebark pines have an ecologically significant role, disproportionately larger in relation to their abundance. The trees are often an initial colonizer, improving difficult growing conditions by regulating soil development, storing carbon, retaining snow, and increasing summer runoff. They even help in promoting the colonization of other plant species. Whitebark pine seeds also serve as a source of food and protein for birds, squirrels, black bears, grizzly bears, and other mammals.
For over two decades, GTNP has partnered with Yellowstone National Park, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management in the GYA to conserve whitebark pine trees.
Jones confirms that GTNP aims to protect rust-resistant and cone-bearing trees through verbenone placement, cone and pollen collection, rust-resistant testing, seed orchard establishment, and plantings.
The Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative and GTNP Foundation collaborate to conserve select whitebark pines by treating them with verbenone to reduce beetle infestation. The verbenone pouches work as pheromones, informing beetles that trees are already occupied, and discouraging them from invading them. Monitoring has revealed that less than 5% of trees with pouches have been killed by beetles, while surrounding trees have been infested. However, due to the increased persistence of beetle outbreaks, GTNP plans to place beetle traps in crucial areas, strip bark from dead trees, and work with YNP and Glacier National Park to conduct direct seeding trials for restoration.
Jones says the park is ready to begin multiple years of direct seeding and planting of whitebark pines this fall. Furthermore, GTNP is planning to use new funds available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to continue these restoration efforts.
Jones explains that even though these actions signify a ramp up in activity and a shift to restoration from ground-laying work, the park was moving toward this end regardless. But, the formal listing may have contributed to recent project proposals’ success in the opportunity to receive new dedicated funds.
Burning is not feasible in GTNP, where the whitebark pine trees are located in high mountain areas that are far away and remote.
Original Story at buckrail.com – 2023-06-19 15:00:00
