Issue No. 34: Spring 2018

nutcrackerJournal of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem notes Foundation

September 20-22, 2018 Community Center, Stanley, Idaho

Litterfall in Whitebark Pine Forests after Mountain Pine Beetle Limber Pine Monitoring along Photo courtesy of Rob Mutch Ecosystem Photography Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front

By Dave Hanna, The Nature Conservancy The limber pine trees at the grassland ecotone are also cultural On the Rocky Mountain Front along the eastern edge of the features on the landscape. Many of the individual limber pines Crown of the Continent, limber pine occurs from lower to upper are centuries old, and were shaped by native peoples managing treeline. At lower treeline, along the ecotone with the grasslands fire and buffalo. These forests are also important for an array of of the Great Plains, these limber pine forests occur along the wildlife, including wintering elk and deer, grizzly bears, cavity ecological margin, in a mixed grassland, savanna, and woodland nesting birds and, of course, Clark’s nutcrackers. matrix. LIMBER continued on page 4

OUR MISSION The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation is a science-based nonprofit organization dedicated to counteracting the decline of whitebark pine and enhancing knowledge of its ecosystems. BOARD Inside Nutcracker Notes Cyndi Smith, Interim Director Canmore, Alberta FOUNDATION NEWS Robert Keane, Interim Associate Director Interim Director’s Message...... 2 Missoula, Montana Canada Director’s News...... 3 Melissa Jenkins, Secretary Kalispell, Montana Student Research Grant Awarded...... 15 Glenda Scott, Treasurer Missoula, Montana Save the Date: 2018 Science Conference ...... 17 Michael Murray, Membership Coordinator Treasurer’s Report...... 18 Nelson, British Columbia Diana Tomback, Policy & Outreach Director Membership Report ...... 20 Denver, Colorado Meet our Board...... 21 Shawn McKinney Missoula, Montana Liz Davy ARTICLES Driggs, Idaho Limber Pine Monitoring along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front Hannah...... front Mike Geisey Troy, MT Data Request for National Restoration Strategy - DeNitto...... 3 Cathy Stewart Missoula, MT Whitebark Pine Growth & Climate in the Rocky Mountains - Flanary...... 5 Robert Mangold Early Signs of Success: Growth response of whitebark pine regeneration to Portland, Oregon thinning and prescribed fire treatments - Retzlaff...... 7 Kathy Tonnesson Missoula, MT Options for Protecting Whitebark Pines from Mountain Pine Beetles, including a new tool: SPLAT VERB - Kegley...... 10

STAFF Progress Report: National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan - Tomback...... 12 Julee Shamhart Missoula, MT

Editor: Robert Keane Whitebark Pine Forever Restoration Fund Campaign

How can you help? Donate now to fund restoration projects such as:

- Plant whitebark pine seedlings - Collect whitebark pine cones for future seedlings - Grow blister rust resistant trees in whitebark pine seed orchards - Protect high value whitebark pine trees from bark beetle attacks - Remove other trees from growing whitebark pine

Go to our website whitebarkfound.org and donate NOW to Whitebark Pine Forever. WPEF Interim Director’s Message By the time you read this many of you will maximum nine years as a general board be gearing up for your field seasons. member Michael has taken on the Member- Wildfires played havoc with many projects ship and Outreach Coordinator position. last summer, and impacted many whitebark pine restoration efforts, although In December we welcomed Dr. Kathy it opened up opportunities in other areas. Tonnessen to our board of directors. Kathy What will summer 2018 bring? was a senior scientist for the National Park Service for much of her career. As the leader Some of you may also be collecting of the Rocky Mountain Cooperative additional field data to feed into the Ecosystem Studies Unit at the University of National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan. Montana, she coordinated research, Cyndi Smith This is a major initiative that the WPEF is education and technical assistance for the involved in, and you can read more in the Rocky Mountain parks, through partnerships coming in to defray the costs of the work article by Diana Tomback, our Policy and with federal and state agencies and a we do. If you can suggest any companies Outreach Coordinator. consortium of Universities and non-profit (large or small) that you think might be a research groups. good fit with the WPEF, please contact our The WPEF board of directors (BOD) Executive Assistant, Julee Shamhart would like to extend its gratitude to Bryan As a member of our Development Commit- [email protected], with Donner, who has stepped down as tee, Rob Mangold is keen to approach some your ideas. Membership and Outreach Coordinator. appropriate corporations for donations, Bryan was a founding member of WPEF particularly to help defray our administrative I look forward to seeing everyone at the fall and had served the membership since the costs. While we have had some success in science meeting and field trip in Stanley, beginning. But Michael Murray has attracting donations for restoration activities, Idaho. Have a great summer. returned to the fold, and after serving the it has been harder to keep enough funds

SUCCESS continued from page 9

the direct benefits to whitebark pine. analysis. We also thank the USDA Forest Canada, G. o. 2012. Order amending Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act. Current restoration efforts should be Fire Sciences Lab for funding and logistical Canada Gazette Part II. continued, as they will be vital to the support, and finally the University of long-term survival of whitebark pine. Montana for general project support Service, U. F. a. W. 2011. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants, 12-month Acknowledgments References finding on a petition to list Pinus albicaulis We thank the field crew Sarah Flanary, Bunn, A. G. 2008. A dendrochronology as endangered or threatened with critical Brian Izbicki, Chris Stalling, Lindsay program library in R(dplR). . Dendro- habitat. Federal Register 76:42631-42654. Grayson, Finn Leary and Michael Reitz for chronologia 26:115-124. all of their diligent data collection and Tukey, J. W. 1977. Exploratory Data editing, as well as all current or former Cybis Elektronik and Data AB. 2015. Analysis. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. employees of the USDA Forest Service, CDendro 8.1.1 Cybis dendro dating Rocky Mountain Research Station Fire program, CooRecorder 8.1.1- Cybis Sciences Lab who assisted with suggestions Coordinate recorder on improvements to methods and data

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 2 WPEF Canada Director’s Message Despite the longer than normal winter we have In addition to planning work, several new been getting in Canada, it seems that whitebark players have entered the whitebark pine pine recovery has become a hot item and we are planting arena, which may see far more finally seeing progress in planning and hectarage planted. I will be meeting with implementation; the 2018 field season may see American Forests in early April to discuss more recovery work conducted than any other seedling purchase commitment; to year to-date. compliment this, Canfor, the largest licensee in BC, has agreed to plant all whitebark pine In late January, I was fortunate enough to attend seedlings provided to them. A win-win Randy Moody Parks Canada’s open standards for conservation scenario – If only there were more seedlings www.whitebarkpine.ca planning workshop in Banff. available. In late April I will be making a Over the course of a week the group was able to presentation to the Canada West Ski Areas a small meeting in Revelstoke to engage discuss the range of threats, the urgency in Association AGM in Lake Louise. All ski Mountain Caribou biologists and discuss various regions, and the development of results resorts in western Canada will be in recovery opportunities and conflicts. Watch chains and recovery objectives. All results were attendance at this meeting and it will be a for this potential meeting in the coming tied directly to the proposed federal Recovery great venue to discuss whitebark issues and months. Many reports from 2017 have Strategy, it was nice to see higher level the Foundation’s Ski Area Certification indicated that 2018 will be a solid cone crop planning taken to the next stage. Further program. This is a group we have been trying across much of the Canadian range, so outcomes from the workshop resulted in Parks to reach out to for several years so it’s great hopefully this snow will melt soon (we got 25 Canada developing working relationships with to finally be accepted to present at this event. cm on April 2) and we can get out to other parties to develop some strategic alliances implementing whitebark pine recovery across in whitebark pine recovery work. There has been some rumbling about hosting the Canadian range.

National Restoration Plan: Whitebark Pine Data Request By Gregg DeNitto being requested. Examples include stand species to develop a single database on these inventories, research plots, or other field species that are at risk to white pine blister rust Development of a national plan for the studies. The complete dataset will be integrated and other damage agents. This effort is an restoration of whitebark pine in the U.S. was into a Decision Support System to assist with outgrowth and expansion of the original USFS identified as a priority need at the recent development of the final restoration plan. Forest Health Protection Whitebark-Limber national whitebark pine summit. The identifica- Pine Information System (WLIS). The data tion of priority core areas in need of restoration If you have any data that includes whitebark from this effort will be available to anyone is a key outcome of the National Whitebark pine that you can contribute, please contact interested in further analysis and will provide Pine Restration Plan (See Diana Tomback’s Chris Stalling or Dr. Bob Keane at RMRS baseline data on the condition of these species. article on page 12). Identification of priority (contact information below). They can provide core areas will focus limited resources to meet information on how to compile and submit the Variables in this dataset are the same as those restoration needs. In order to identify these data. They also know what data they currently being developed for whitebark pine above to areas, spatial data on whitebark pine is needed have to avoid duplication. Data submissions are ensure compatibility. If you have any data on for an accurate assessment. Much of this data needed by *****. these 5 species that you can contribute, please has been compiled, but we are aware that there Dr. Bob Keane, 406- 329-4846, contact Gregg DeNitto (contact information is additional data that exists with individual [email protected] below). There isn’t a deadline on receipt of agencies, organizations, and researchers. Christine Stalling, 406-829-7386, these data, but if you can provide data this year [email protected] it would be appreciated. Dr. Gregg DeNitto, An effort by Rocky Mountain Research Station 406-880-1812, [email protected] 3 is underway to collect any and all data on A separate but comparable effort on data whitebark pine in the U.S. to add to existing collection is underway for the other high Please share these requests with others who datasets. This includes data on distribution, elevation five needle pines in the U.S. (foxtail, may be working on any of these 5-needle pine condition, regeneration, wildlife, or any other Great Basin bristlecone, limber, Rocky species. All contributions are welcomed and aspect that includes whitebark pine informa- Mountain bristlecone, southwestern white). will be credited appropriately. Thanks for your tion. Any data that concerns whitebark pine is This effort is designed to compile data on these support!

3 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 LIMBER continued from front

While the old-growth limber pines along the Rocky Mountain Front are mostly intact, some stands have changed over the last century, most notably from the lack of frequent fire which historically maintained open savanna conditions. Many limber pine stands now appear to be overstocked, which likely creates competition stress, that then increases vulnerability to drought and stand-replacement fires.

In some places managers can reintroduce fire or conduct mechanical treatments for stand restoration, but there are numerous Figure 1. Installing and monitoring plots on the Rocky Mountain Front in 2017. factors also affecting these stands – white sure we get management right is to gain a numerous private landowners have also pine blister rust (WPBR), mountain pine better understanding of what’s going on allowed access to enable sampling across beetle, and other insects and pathogens. at the landscape scale, and how these the landscape. And given that these low elevation stands stands are responding to the various occur along the ecological edge for stresses, including climate change and We identified limber pine-dominated limber pine, they are likely more drought. stands with aerial imagery and generated susceptible to drought and climate random plot locations using Region One change impacts interacting with insects The Montana Department of Natural Plot Locator (ROPL) software. We chose and pathogens. Resources and Conservation, USDA to focus our sampling effort Forest Service, and The Nature approximately within the Sun River, Anecdotally, there appears to be a lot of Conservancy have partnered to Teton River, and Dupuyer Creek variability in how all these factors characterize the condition of low watersheds. In this area a total of 105 interact with limber pine across the elevation limber pine on the Rocky potential plot locations were identified landscape – resulting in stands with lots Mountain Front south of Birch Creek. using a combination of aerial imagery of mortality to stands with very little Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, USDI mortality. So a critical step for making LIMBER continued on page 20 Bureau of Land Management, and

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 4 Whitebark Pine Growth & Climate in the Rocky Mountains

Sarah Flanary ¹, *, David Affleck ², Edwin Burke ², Ray Callaway ², and Robert Keane ¹ 1 US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program, 5775 Highway 10 W, Missoula, MT 59808; 2 University of Montana, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT, 59808 * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +01-406-249-7955

Introduction Using the site data gathered, mortality and sampled did not have master chronologies Alongside fluctuating precipitation and regeneration were examined, although the available, individual site chronologies were temperatures in the form of climate change, results may only pertain to non-disturbed developed instead. Individual tree ring width whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) has seen a stands. data were de-trended using a modified territory wide decline in population. While negative exponential curve and the the most direct influences on whitebark pine The cores from each site were mounted and chronologies built using Tukey’s robust health and mortality are mountain pine beetle sanded using standard dendrochronological mean. (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks, fire techniques, and crossdating and ring-width exclusion policies, and the spread of white growth measurements performed using the The ring-width index (RWI) chronologies pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), CooRecorder and CDendro packages from were then correlated with monthly climate climate change impacts the intervals and Cybis (Larsson 2014). As many areas variables from prior year June to current year severity of such outbreaks, and may affect the growth and health of whitebark pine directly.

The objective of this study was to use tree-ring analysis and statistics to determine the current relationship between whitebark pine growth and climate throughout a range of healthy stands in the United States Rocky Mountains, as well as to produce data to help with future predictions of habitat and success.

Methods 92 tenth-acre sites were selected within whitebark pines Northern U.S. Rocky Mountain habitat range and site, stand, vegetation, and fuel data gathered at each, as well as cores from mature trees, saplings, and seedlings if available (Figure 1).

Stands were chosen for vigor and lacked a history of disturbance such as beetle attacks, white pine blister rust presence, fire, or thinning. PRISM monthly climate variable data for maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation was downloaded for each of the sites for the past Figure 1. Map locations of sites sampled. 100 years (Daly 2004).

5 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 Figure 2: Plot showing a ring-width index (RWI) chronology. The connected points shows the annual mean RWI value from all sites included

September using the R-packages treeclim and proportional data was used in the analysis. (Figure 2). dplR (Bunn 2010, Team 2015, Zang and Overall, whitebark made up the majority Biondi 2015). proportionally of the mature tree presence on When climate data was plotted and fitted with the sites, but subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) a Lowess smoothing line, the PRISM data Results made up the proportional majority of the showed an increase of about 5 °F for both Regionwide, mortality percentages on the sites seedlings on almost all non-grass undergrowth annual minimum and annual maximum sampled were found to be significantly dominant sites. temperature over the past 100 years among the different between whitebark and other conifer sites sampled. With the increasing temperature species when split into decay classes (p-value Plotted establishment dates for the whitebark data, annual precipitation amounts have been < 1.471e-08). seedlings and saplings did not indicate a drop declining for the past 30 years (Figure 3). off in dates established among the sites in Among the 230 snags sampled over the region, which whitebark seedlings were captured in Ring-width growth was most often 134 were whitebark. 51% of the sampled the sampling methods, although only 46 of the significantly correlated with current and prior whitebark snags were visually assessed as 92 plots had whitebark seedlings data recorded, year July climate variables, as well as February being dead more recently, falling within the compared to 45 sites with subalpine fir and March. When examined, these monthly decay classes of 1 and 2, compared to 88% of seedling presence. minimum temperatures have increased on a the other conifer species measured on the plots similar scale as the annual values, from 4-7 °F falling within those same decay class. The combined RWI data, when plotted, did not for each site. show a great decrease in growth among While snags were not cored to assess date of sampled sites, as is a concern with climate Maximum temperatures saw less of an increase death, as neither insect nor disease outbreaks change predictions and resulting drought stress. in the summer months over the 100 years were visually present, death is assumed to be examined, although spring month temperatures related to an isolated stem attack or an While there was a period beginning in 1998 increased around 5 °F each. Future climate unmeasured variable, such as climate change. where growth steadily declined, in the most predictions for the Rocky Mountains show a recent decade the sampled whitebark showed future of increasing temperatures and Looking at regeneration within the sampled increasing growth and at the end of the decreasing precipitation amounts. sites, given the breadth of the region sampled sampled period had a similar growth rate to and the variance among stand characteristics, early in the century for many of the sites GROWTH continued on page 14

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 6 Early signs of success: Growth response of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm) regeneration to thinning and prescribed burn treatments By Molly McClintock Retzlaff¹ , Robert E. Keane¹, David L. Affleck², and Sharon M. Hood¹

1 US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program, 5775 Highway 10 W, Missoula, MT 59808; 2 University of Montana, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT, 59808 7 * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-406-829-7341

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) plays a Ridge, Coyote Meadows, and Snow Bowl) within the treatment units (control, prominent role throughout high elevation which were part of the Keane and Parsons prescribed burn, thinning, and both). Then ecosystems of the northern Rocky (2010) long-term monitoring study one to four sample trees were selected from Mountains. It is an important food source examining whitebark pine restoration the 11.4 meter radius plot. We collected for many birds and mammals as well as through selective thinning and prescribed site characteristics from the plot and cored essential to watershed stabilization. burnings (Figure 1). The four sites were each sample tree at breast height. If the Whitebark pine forests are currently treated in 1999-2001. Details of the pre- trees were too small to be cored then the experiencing a severe decline across most and post-treatment conditions, and the tree was cut down at the base and sections of their range in western North American implementation of the treatments are were removed. due to the interactions of an invasive fungal documented in Keane and Parsons (2010). pathogen, native bark beetles, and Each site was composed of a number of Cores and tree sections were sanded with a successional replacement by more units, and each unit was thinned, burned, belt sander and hand-polished with 9 shade-tolerant species due to fire exclusion. received a mix of both treatments, or was micron grit sandpaper, then scanned using left untreated as a control. an Epson platform scanner at 1200 dpi. The combination of these three factors, Cores were crossdated and annual radial white pine blister rust, mountain pine To evaluate the efficacy of the Keane and growth measured using CooRecorder 7.8 beetle, and fire exclusion, have contributed Parsons (2010) treatments for improving (Cybis Elektronik & Data AB) . We to a nearly range-wide decline in whitebark tree vigor, we randomly located plots verified dating using CDendro (Cybis pine populations; as a result, it was recently listed as both a candidate species under the United States Endangered Species Act (Service 2011) and an endangered species in Canada under the Species at Risk Act (Canada 2012).

In this study, we examined the effective- ness of restoration treatments by measuring the diameter growth of whitebark pine regeneration in stands that were treated using a combination of silvicultural cuttings and prescribed burning. We evaluated growth release primarily as a relative increase in annual radial growth before and after the release treatments of the combination of selective thinning and prescribed burns conducted on the study sites.

We selected four sites in the Northern U.S. Figure 1: Location of the four sample sites (image generated in Google Earth Pro 2017) Rocky Mountains (Bear Overlook, Beaver

7 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 Elektronik & Data AB) and create a site (a factor variable differentiating study and 2001. chronology for each site (site specific series sites), treatment, tree age at time of intercorrelation = 0.35-0.4; mean sensitivity treatment, tree basal diameter at the time of Trees sampled from treated units ranged in =0.3). treatment, elevation, tree vigor at the time age from 17 years old to 201 years old, of sampling, and plot basal area at the time with an average age of 65 years. Trees We used the dplR package (Bunn 2008) in of sampling. Included in the ANCOVA sampled from the control units ranged in RStudio (RStudio 3.3.2 Team 2016) to model were the interactions of site with tree age from 24 years old to 269 years old with determine cross-sectional area increments age, elevation, tree vigor, plot basal area at an average age of 81 years. Coyote (BAI; mm² yr-1) at the base of each tree time of sampling, tree basal diameter at Meadows had the youngest sampled trees (not breast-height) from the year of time of treatment, and treatment. with a mean age of 56 years old, while the sampling back to the year of germination. trees at Snow Bowl were on average the The importance of these factors and oldest with a mean age of 108 years old. We then used BAI measurements to interactions were assessed at a significance calculate growth ratios (GR), relating level of 0.05. Two-sample t-tests were The species composition of the four sites growth post-treatment to growth conducted to evaluate differences between was dominated by subalpine fir and pre-treatment. GRs greater than 1 translate the average GRs of trees in the control whitebark pine (in that order) on the control to an increase in growth after treatment, areas and the trees in the treated areas. The plots, and by whitebark pine, subalpine fir, and GRs less than one correspond to a data were checked for possible outliers and lodgepole pine in the treated units. decrease in growth. GR was calculated by using both Tukey’s Range test and an dividing the post-treatment 10-year BAI by analysis of the standard deviations around The average annual BAI (mm² yr-1) for the 10-year pre-treatment BAI. the mean (Tukey 1977) whitebark pine trees varied by site and treatment (Table 1). At Bear Overlook, the We used an analysis of covariance Results average BAI, before treatment, in the (ANCOVA) to explore factors that might In total we sampled 93 trees with DBH < control was 232.43 mm² yr-1, and the influence radial growth response (RStudio 23 cm from the control and treatment units average BAI of the thinned and burned unit 3.3.2 Team 2016). Specifically, GR was of four sites in Idaho and Montana that was 204.05 mm² yr-1. After the treatment, linearly related to the independent variables received release treatments between 1999 the average BAI of the control unit

Table 1: Site, treatment, sample size, mean BAI (basal area increment; (mm² yr-1) before and after treatment, mean growth ratio (GR), and standard error in parenthesis. ** = statistically significant difference at p< 0.05, GR greater than 1 indicates and increase in growth after treatment. GR less than 1 indicates a decrease in growth after treatment. pre-BAI post-BAI Site Treatment n Mean GR (mm²yr-1) (mm²yr-1) Control 10 232.43 209.98 1.09 (0.17) Bear Overlook Thin- Burn 10 204.05 277.07 2.34** (0.51) Control 12 984.78 939.86 1.59 (0.22) Beaver Ridge Burn 8 335.28 627.25 2.49 (0.62) Control 12 574.32 648.53 1.44 (0.14) Coyote Burn 8 123.38 225.84 2.67 (0.49) Meadows Thin- Burn 11 903.58 1232.97 2.25** (0.29) Control 13 676.78 519.90 0.99 (0.16) Snowbowl Thin 9 545.64 520.22 1.04 (0.15) Control 13 617.08 579.58 1.28 (0.17) Thin 9 545.64 520.22 1.04 (0.15) All Sites Burn 8 229.33 426.55 2.58 (0.55) Thin-Burn 21 553.82 1086.42 2.30** (0.40) 1

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 8 decreased to 209.98 mm² yr-1, but the neighborhood tree competition, or because this study show that whitebark pine average BAI of the thinned and burned unit aggregate basal areas were affected by regeneration can respond to release more than doubled to 277.07 mm² yr-1 multiple factors between 2000 and treatments intended to restore whitebark (Table 1). 2016-2017. pine vigor, resilience, and cone crops.

The pattern was the same at Beaver Ridge Similarly, plot elevation did not appear to Younger trees showed higher GR than where the average BAI decreased in control influence GR, possibly due to the small older trees, and most trees in thin-burn and units and increased in the treated units. The differences in elevation between plots burn only units had higher GRs than trees average BAI increased in all units at within sites (variation among sites is in thin-only or control units. Not all Coyote Meadows, though the increases absorbed by the site factor variable). Vigor treatments were implemented on all sites were proportionally greater in the treated class of the sample trees – as measured in and trees at some sites responded better to units. Conversely, average BAI declined in 2016-2017 – also did not contribute to GR. treatments. There is much debate about all unit at Snowbowl, though the decline how whitebark pine will respond to was proportionally greater in the control The vigor classifications used in this study modified wildfire regimes, mountain pine unit (Table 1). were modified from a crown ratio classifi- beetle outbreaks, and blister rust attacks as cation system used for ponderosa pine climates change. GRs varied greatly among trees and this (Pinus ponderosa Lawson and C. Lawson) variation could only be partially explained and may not have been sufficient for It is, however, widely agreed upon that from measured tree, plot, and site factors accurately classifying whitebark pine. restoration will be key to this species’ (overall model goodness of R² = 0.53). Alternatively, the vigor observed in survival. Climate change will likely Some of the variability in GR was 2016-2017 may not represent the status and become more challenging for managers as attributable to treatment: in particular, dynamics of tree vigor prior to and within they make decisions about allocating linear modeling results showed that sample 10 years of treatment. resources and limited funding. trees in treatment units had higher GRs than those in control units (p = 0.0009 ). Summary Collaboration between researchers, Whitebark pine is widespread in the modelers, and managers will be essential to Within a site, the mean GR was greater high-elevation ecosystems of western North ensure the best decisions are made using (105%-215%) for all of the treated units America. Its loss could have cascading recent, relevant research that will maximize than the control units. Site-level t-tests impacts on many other species and lead to SUCCESS continued on page 2 indicated that units which were thinned and landscape-level changes. The results from later burned (Coyote Meadows and Bear Overlook) had a significantly higher GR Figure 2: Relationship between growth ratio and tree age by site (CM: Coyote Meadows; SB: Snowbowl; than controls (p =0.05). The other BO: Bear Overlook; BR: Beaver Ridge). burn-only unit, at Beaver Ridge, showed an increase in GR of 2.49 versus 1.59 in the control unit.

Yet owing to the small sample size and the high variability of growth rates between trees, the difference between the treated and control means was not statistically significant. The thinned unit at Snowbowl showed almost no difference in GR between the treated unit and the control unit (Table 1).

In addition to treatment effects, tree age negatively impacted GR, albeit in a manner that varied by site (Figure 2). In contrast, the aggregate basal area of the sample tree plots as measured in 2016-2017 did not affect GR (p=0.76). This may be because the plots were too large to capture

9 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 Options for Protecting Whitebark Pines from Mountain Pine Beetles, including a new tool: SPLAT ® Verb By Sandy Kegley, Forest Entomologist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region

BLM Planting Party, June 2017

Figure 2. A nutcracker forages on ripe limber pine seeds in Rocky Mountain National Park. 2014. Photo: T J Williams

Mule pack train carrying spray equipment and insecticides to a high elevation whitebark pine site. Photo by Melissa Jenkins (Figure 4)

Mountain pine beetles are one of the major Anti-aggregation pheromone formulations blocks in Oregon and California (Progar et al. threats to whitebark pine and kill numerous Verbenone has been synthesized and available 2017). For the individual tree test, we tested mature cone-bearing trees throughout for many years in slow-release pouches that 5g, 7g, and 14g of verbenone in SPLAT whitebark pine’s range each year. Tree can be stapled to trees (see Using Verbenone dollops, along with the standard two 7g mortality from the beetles affects many to Protect Trees from Mountain Pine Beetle). pouches per tree and control trees with no resources and key benefits that whitebark pine The standard recommendation is to apply 2 verbenone. provides. For restoration efforts, it is critical pouches per tree on the north side of the trunk, to protect blister rust-resistant plus trees and as high as can be reached (figure 1). To ensure beetle pressure, all trees in the test elite trees from mountain pine beetles when Verbenone has also been formulated in small were baited with an attractant pheromone. there is a risk of beetle attack. Mountain pine inert polymeric flakes that can be aerially Results were positive—all verbenone treated beetles must mass attack a tree in order to applied to pine forests by small aircraft whitebark pines were protected from overcome the tree’s defenses. They coordinate (Gillette et al. 2012), and would be most mountain pine beetle mass attack and over tree colonization and regulate their density by economical for remote areas. 90% of control trees died from mountain pine communicating with pheromones. Mountain beetle attacks during two years of testing. pine beetles naturally produce an More recently, verbenone has been formulated The only attacks that occurred on treated anti-aggregation pheromone, verbenone, to in a wax emulsion matrix that is applied with a trees were pitched out (unsuccessful) (figure disperse adult beetles away from a fully caulking gun (SPLAT® Verb, iscatech.com). 3). For the one acre blocks, verbenone colonized tree. SPLAT® Verb showed efficacy in protecting pouches and SPLAT® Verb were applied to lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, and sugar pine different blocks at a rate of 40 pouches or Many formulations and dosages of verbenone from mountain pine beetles (Fettig et al. dollops/acre (about 99 pouches or have been tested to protect pine trees from 2016). SPLAT® Verb is applied to tree bark dollops/ha). Unfortunately, low beetle mountain pine beetles. Preventive insecticide in dollops from a calibrated caulking gun on populations at those locations prevented treatments have also been used to protect pine four different sides of trees, as high as can be treatment effects in the block areas. trees. The purpose of this article is to describe reached (figure 2). In 2015-16, we tested current management tools for short-term tree SPLAT® Verb on individual whitebark pine Either verbenone pouches or SPLAT® Verb protection from mountain pine beetles. trees in Montana, and one acre whitebark pine can be used to protect individual or small

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 10 areas of pine trees when there is mountain pine beetle activity threatening an area. Advantages of SPLAT® Verb are that it is cryptic and biodegradable. A disadvantage is that it is easily rubbed off of treated plus trees by tree climbers caging and collecting cones. Cost of each formulation is comparable (Table 1). Costs are often less expensive in bulk orders.

Verbenone does not always protect all treated trees or areas, particularly when mountain pine beetle populations are extremely high. Preventive insecticides, such as carbaryl or synthetic pyrethroids (permethrin and bifenthrin), can be 100% effective in protecting individual trees from mountain pine beetle when properly applied to the bole (see Using Insecticides to Protect Individual Conifers from Figure 1. Left: verbenone pouches on whitebark pine trunk; Right: verbenone formulated into flakes that can be applied by aircraft to remote areas. Bark Beetle Attack in the West at https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCU MENTS/stelprdb5295376.pdf). Carbaryl can protect trees for two years. Synthetic pyrethroids protect trees for one year. Spray equipment, including a pump and insecticides, have been taken to high elevation sites on horse/mule pack trains to spray high-value whitebark pine (figure 4) (Windell & Jenkins 2014).

References Fettig, C.J.; Steed, B.E.; Bulaon, B.M.; Mortenson, L.A.; Progar, R.A.; Bradley, C.A.; Munson, A. S., Mafra-Neto, A. 2016. Efficacy of SPLATR Verb for protecting individual Pinus contorta, Pinus ponderosa, and Pinus lambertiana from mortality attributed to Dendroctonus ponderosae. J. Entomol. Soc. Brit. Columbia 113, December 2016: 11-20. Figure 2. Left: SPLAT® Verb applied to whitebark pine with a caulking gun; Right: dollops of SPLAT® Verb shown on 2 sides of the tree (arrows), two other dollops not visible. Gillette, N.E.; Hansen, E.M.; Mehmel, C.J.; Mori, S.R.; Webster, J.N.; Erbilgin, N.; Wood, D.L. 2012. Area-wide application of verbenone-releasing flakes reduces mortality of Table 1. Cost of verbenone pouches and SPLAT R Verb for individual and bulk orders. whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, caused by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus Price on 2016 Northern Region ponderosae. Agricultural and Forest website Forest Service Bulk Order Entomolgy14 (4): 367-375. Verbenone Pouch $8.85 each or $3.39 each or $6.78/tree http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.14 $17.70/tree 61-9563.2012.00577.x/full SPLAT® Verb $120/tube or $69/tube or $6.90/tree $12/tree Progar, R.; Fettig, C.; Kegley, S.; Steed, B.; SPLAT® calibrated $29.90 each $29.90 each Cluck, D.; Snyder, C.; Munson, S.; Spiegel, L. caulking gun

SPLAT continued on page 13

11 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 Progress report: National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan (NWPRP)

Diana F. Tomback - Policy and Outreach Coordinator, WPEF Spring 2018

In the Fall 2017 issue, I reported on the Rocky Mountain Research Station, and Julee tion. The primary reason for this call was to background, goals, and first steps in the Shamhart, Executive Assistant of the WPEF. answer questions concerning timeframe of development of the National Whitebark The following is a summary of activities and the status review, whether information could Pine Restoration Plan—an inter-agency steps in the process (Fig. 2) accomplished in inform Data Call 2 and the writing of the collaboration led by the Washington Office 2018 to date: restoration plan, and to organize data sharing. of the Forest Service in partnership with the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation and January 30. US Forest Service Washington With regard to the latter point, we had hoped American Forests. Office-based conference call with agency that the final NWPRP would include “points of contact” (or liaisons). Leslie information required for the F&WS recovery The report covered the steps through the Weldon, Deputy Chief of the National Forest plan, but recovery planning specifics are in National Whitebark Pine Summit, held System, introduced the call and reiterated her flux at F&WS, and timing may not work. November 7-9, 2017, in Missoula, MT. We support for the restoration plan. The key We are expecting the draft F&WS Whitebark are at the beginning of the data acquisition issues discussed included core area identifica- Pine Species Assessment Plan to be available stage of the process, and according to the tion and criteria, details of the data call, and for review at any time. timeframe recommended by agency points of data call. contact, anticipate the draft plan now March 19. The Data Call 1 letter was sometime during the summer of 2020. The February 14. Dissemination of coarse-scale emailed on this day to all liaisons except components of the draft restoration plan are whitebark pine spatial data layers to agency Forest Service points of contact. A depicted in Fig. 1, and the steps in the liaisons, compiled and organized for us by separate email will be sent to Forest Service process, which have been further developed, Bob Keane and his staff at the Missoula liaisons in mid-April, allowing us time to are depicted in Fig. 2. Fire Sciences Lab. The attachments obtain Forest Service distributional data included: the National Whitebark Pine previously sent to F&WS. Target deadline Since the November Summit, the leaders of Restoration Spatial Archive, Geospatial data for Data Call 1: May 15, 2018. the effort, Dr. David Gwaze—National inventor, Layer library references_NWPRP, Silviculturist for the U.S. Forest Service; Eric and layer library GIS NWPRP. In preparation for this data call, instructions Sprague—Director of Forest Conservation, for submitting data, a WPEF web page, and American Forests; and I have had a number March 2. Conference call with U.S. Fish Forest Service t-drive were prepared by Julee of planning conference calls, several held and Wildlife Services (F&WS), Cheyenne Shamhart, Bob Keane and his staff. The with Bob Keane, technical expert from the Office with US F&WS regional participa- information requested by this data call

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 12 included spatial layers as GEOTIFF or Washington-level inter-agency meetings, two The information requested may be zipped shapefiles and plot-based data liaison conference calls, and presentations to determined in part by the draft Whitebark information submitted through the Hi5DB, leadership. These events and outreach efforts Pine Species Status Assessment expected now administered by Bob through the USFS are to be tentatively scheduled for the week from F&WS at any time. We anticipate that Rocky Mountain Research Station. of May 14, 2018, including a webinar Data Call 2 will occur sometime in late presentation at DOI on the NWPRP. During spring or early summer, 2018, with a target Data Call 2 will request the fundamental the week of the 14th, we will work out in deadline of late spring of 2019. For information required for development of the detail the information requested in Data Call additional information, please email me at NWPRP (Fig. 1). Prior to this Data Call 2, 2, with input from liaison points of contact, [email protected] 13 we anticipate that there will be a series of the Forest Service, and other agencies.

SPLAT continued from page 11

Figure 3. Graphs showing two years of testing verbenone pouches and different doses of SPLAT® Verb on individual whitebark pine trees in Montana. The only attacks on verbenone treated trees were pitch outs (unsuccessful attacks), while control trees experienced >90% mass attacks.

2017. Protecting Whitebark Pine from Denver, CO 2018. Development Center Tech. Rep. Mountain Pine Beetles with SPLAT® Verb. 1424-2821-MTDC, Missoula, MT. 30 p. STDP project R1-2015-01. Poster presented Windell, K.; Jenkins, M. 2014. Backcountry Currently available online within the Forest at Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation high-pressure sprayer system. USDA Forest Service at Science Workshop, Whitefish, MT 2016 and Service, Missoula Technology and http://fsweb.mtdc.wo.fs.fed.us/php/library_ca Western Forest Insect Work Conference, rd.php?p_num=1424%202821 13 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 GROWTH continued from page 6

Results from the climate data and growth correlations would lead to predictions of decreased growth, however, whitebark pine seems to be continuing to grow at similar rates as in the past.

This may be the result of increasing growing degree days, allowing the drought tolerant whitebark to practice their adaptive ability and begin growing earlier in the spring.

Summary While whitebark pine continues to decline throughout it’s range from the combined effects of mountain pine beetle attacks, white pine blister rust, and fire exclusion policies, the data from this study does allow for a potential future for whitebark in the changing climate conditions in stands that may be more beetle or rust resistant.

In sites that have a current population of healthy whitebark pine, they are continuing to Figure 3: Plot showing, from the top, averaged values for yearly maximum temperature (°F), yearly minimum temperature (°F), total yearly precipitation (inches), mean Palmer Modified Drought establish in the area alongside the prevalent Index value, and the mean ring-width index from the cores and sites sampled. subalpine fir, despite the Clarks nutcracker preferring to stash in areas that have seen disturbance. increasing threat of drought stress from crossdating in R using the dplR library." lessening precipitation and increasing Dendrochronologia 28(4): 251-258. While seedlings and sapling data were not temperature, whitebark pine are continuing to Daly, C. (2004). "PRISM Climate Group." captured in every stand sampled due to the grow at similar rates as the past 100 years on a Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. minimized sampling area, there were visual range of spatially distinct sites. Larsson, L. (2014). CooRecorder and Cdendro identification of their presence in almost all programs of the CooRecorder/Cdendro areas sampled. The results from this study suggest that further package version 7.7. north may not be the only place to focus Whitebark pine in these non-blister or beetle re-establishment efforts through planting and Team, R. (2015). "RStudio: integrated impacted stands are still displaying lower management; but that there is an opportunity development for R." RStudio, Inc., Boston, MA mortality rates than other conifer species, even for whitebark pine to continue to have a URL http://www. rstudio. com. others are also adapted to the higher elevation presence in their historic range as well. and drier sites such as subalpine fir. Zang, C. and F. Biondi (2015). "treeclim: an R References package for the numerical calibration of Within these non-disturbed stands, despite the Bunn, A. G. (2010). "Statistical and visual proxy-climate relationships." Ecography 38(4): 431-436.

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 14 STUDENT RESEARCH GRANT WPEF student research grant awarded for 2018

A call for proposals for the annual WPEF population densities at which beetles usually with tree defenses such as resin flow, resin student research grant was released in the occur, tree defenses are an important canals, and phloem chemistry differ between Spring/Summer issue of Nutcracker Notes, constraint on beetle colonization and lodgepole and whitebark pines? and online. The proposals were reviewed by development (Raffa et al. 2008, Boone et al. former board members Bryan Donner and 2011, Burke & Carroll 2017). Conifers Methods Edie Dooley, Nutcracker Notes editor and defend themselves against beetle attacks with Obj. 1: We will induce defenses of lodgepole interim associate director Bob Keane, and integrated constitutive and induced defenses pine and whitebark pine by simulated attack, interim director Cyndi Smith. MICHAEL that exert both chemical and physical using a cork borer, fungal (using MPB’s HOWE, a PhD student in the Department of barriers. primary associate Grossmania clavigera) Entomology at University of Wisconsin- inoculation, or simulated attack and addition Madison, was chosen as the grant recipient Differences in defense chemistry between of trans-verbenol and exo-brevicomin for 2018. His supervisor is Dr. Kenneth lodgepole (Pinus contorta) and whitebark packets. Phloem and foliage tissues will be Raffa. Following is a description of pines have recently revealed important clues sampled before application of treatment Michael’s project: into the relative susceptibility of historically attack and 21 days post treatment (Mason et exposed versus less exposed trees (Raffa et al. 2017) using an arch punch and pole Is whitebark pine more amenable to al. 2013, Bentz et al. 2015, Raffa et al. 2017). pruners. mountain pine beetle attack behavior than These differences in tree chemistry are historical hosts? manifested by varying MPB behaviors. For Composition and concentration of defensive example, MPB attacks lodgepole pine at compounds will be analyzed using gas Whitebark pine faces numerous biotic and higher rates, but the percent of attacks that chromatography (Keefover-Ring et al. 2016, abiotic threats including blister rust, succeed is higher in whitebark pine (Bentz et Howe et al., accepted). Additionally, 30 trees Cronartium ribicola (Tomback & Achuff al. 2015). will be induced with methyl jasmonate and 2010), mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus fungi to compare local defensive response to ponderosae: MPB) (Logan et al. 2010), and In cut bolts, MPB successfully attacks a general tree defense signal and MPB warming temperatures that exacerbate MPB lodgepole pine at higher rates, but gallery specific signal (Burke et al. 2017). outbreaks (Raffa et al. 2008, Bentz et al. density is higher in whitebark pine (Esch et 2010). al. 2016). Predators of MPB are equally Obj. 2: We will attach 5 different doses of likely to land on unattacked whitebark and trans-verbenol/exo-brecomin packets to trees Warming temperatures increase beetle lodgepole pines, but are more attracted to to simulate initial number of beetles attacking overwintering survival, hasten development, lodgepole pines undergoing attack (Raffa et a tree and record attack density (and possibly and increase transpiration stress, thus al. 2013). Similarly, populations of predators cage trees to measure beetle emergence). reducing tree defenses (Raffa et al. 2015). By are relatively higher in lodgepole than Obj. 3: Fifty trees of each species will be the end of this century, almost all whitebark whitebark pine habitat (Krause et al 2017). cored to compare resin ducts and resin will pine habitat in the Greater Yellowstone be collected to record rate of resin flow Ecosystem will be thermally suitable for Objectives (Karsky et al. 2004). MPB during most years (Buotte et al. 2016). We will examine whether whitebark and lodgepole pines differ in the ease with which The constitutive phloem defenses of a small Mountain pine beetle is an eruptive insect low-density mountain pine beetle populations subsample of these trees will be analyzed that causes landscape scale mortality events can successfully elicit aggregation. using gas chromatography to examine that are increasing in severity and frequency relationships between resinous defenses and (Hicke et al. 2006). Beetles engage in Specifically: 1) What signals indicative of constitutive phloem defenses. pheromone mediated mass attacks MPB attack do trees use to induce Site location and collaborators: This work (Blomquist et al. 2010) that exhaust tree anti-aggregants, precursors, and synergists, will be conducted in two locations, near defenses (Raffa et al. 2014). and in what tissues? 2) Does the number of Bend, OR, and Kootenai, BC. Both regions pioneer beetles needed to elicit arrival by have large populations of whitebark pine, During outbreaks, beetles can overcome the flying beetles differ between lodgepole and which are reproductively separated from defenses of most trees, but at the lower whitebark pines? 3) Do properties associated previous work in the Greater Yellowstone

15 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 Ecosystem, and have not been previously Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest studied. Field work will be performed in Research 46:557-563. Raffa K.F., Aukema, B.H., Bentz, B.J., collaboration with Robbie Flowers of USDA Carroll, A.L., Hicke, J.A., and Kolb, T.E. FS in OR, and Dr. Allan Carroll, University Hicke, J.A., Logan, J.A., Powell, J., and 2015. Responses of tree-killing bark beetles of British Columbia. Ojiima, D.S. 2006. Changing temperatures to a changing climate. In Bjorkman C & influence suitability for modeled mountain Niemela P. Climate Change and Insect Pests, References pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) CABI, Wallingfored England. Pp. 173-201. Bentz, B.J, Boone, C., and Raffa, K.F. 2015. outbreaks in the western United States. Tree response and mountain pine beetle Journal of Geophysical Research 111:1-12. Raffa K.F., Aukema, B.H., Bentz, B.J., attack preference, reproduction and Carroll, A.L., Hicke, J.A., Turner, M.G., and emergence timing in mixed whitebark and Howe, M., Keefover-Ring, K., and Raffa, Romme, W.H. 2008. Cross-scale drivers of lodgepole pine stands. Agricultural and K.F. 2018. Pine engravers carry bacterial natural disturbances prone to anthropogenic Forest Entomology 17:421-432. communities whose members reduce amplification: the dynamics of bark beetle concentrations of host monoterpenes with eruptions. BioScience 58: 501-517. Bentz, B.J., Regniere, J., Fettig, C.J., variable degrees of redundancy, specificity, Hansen, E.M., Hayes, J.L., Hicke, J.A., and capability. Environmental Entomology Raffa, K.F., Mason, C.J., Bonello, P., Cook, Kelsey, R.G., Negron, J.F., and Seybold, S.J. XX(X):1-8 https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvy032 S., Erbilgin, N., Keefover-Ring, K., Klutsch, 2010. Climate change and bark beetles of the J.G., Villari, C., and Townsend, P.A.. 2017. western United States and Canada: direct Karsky, D., Strom, B., and Thistle, H. 2004. Defense syndromes in lodgepole-whitebark and indirect effects. BioScience 60: 602-613. An improved method for collecting and pine ecosystems relate to degree of historical monitoring pine oleoresin. USDA Forest exposure to mountain pine beetles. Plant, Blomquist, G.J., Figueroa-Teran, R., Aw, M., Service Technology and Development Cell, & Environment 40:1791-1806. Song, M., Gorzalski, A., Abbott, N.L., Chang, Program 0434-2306-MTDC. E., and Tittiger, C. 2010. Pheromone Raffa, K.F., Powell, E.N., and Townsend, production in bark beetles. Insect Biochemis- Keefover-Ring, K., Trowbridge, A., Mason, P.A. 2013. Temperature-driven range try and Molecular Biology 40:699-712. C.J., and Raffa, K.F. 2016. Rapid induction expansion of an irruptive insect heightened of multiple terpenoid groups by ponderosa by weakly coevolved plant defenses. PNAS Boone, C.K., Aukema, B.H., Bohlman, J., pine in response to bark beetle-associated 110:2193-2198. Carroll, A.L., and Raffa, K.F. Efficacy of tree fungi. Journal of Chemical Ecology 42:1-12. defense physiology varies with bark beetle Tomback, D.F. and Achuff, P. 2010. Blister population density: a basis for positive Krause, A.M., Townsend, P.A., Lee, Y., and rust and western forest biodiversity: ecology, feedback in eruptive species. Canadian Raffa, K.F. 2017. Predators and competitors values and outlook for white pines. Forest Journal of Forest Research 41: 1174-1188. of the mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus Pathology 40: 186-225. ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Buotte, P.C., Hicke, J.A., Preisler, H.K., stands of changing forest composition Abatzoglou, J.T., Raffa, K.F., and Logan, associated with elevation. Agricultural and J.A. 2016. Climate influences on whitebark Forest Entomology 10.1111/afe.12272. pine mortality from mountain pine beetle in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Logan, J., Macfarlane, W., and Willcox, L. Ecological Applications 26:2507-2524. 2010. Whitebark pine vulnerability to climate-driven mountain pine beetle Burke, J.L., and Carroll, A.L. 2017. Breeding disturbance in the Greater Yellowstone matters: natal experience influences Ecosystem. Ecological Applications 20: population state-dependent host acceptance 895-902. by an eruptive insect herbivore. PLOS One 12:1-16. Mason, C.J., Villari, C., Keefover-Ring, K., Esch, E.D., Langor, D.W., and Spence, J.R.. Jagemann, S., Zhu, J., Bonello, P., and Raffa, 2016. Gallery success, brood production, and K.F. 2017. Spatial and temporal components condition of mountain pine beetles of induced plant responses in the context of (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) reared in herbivore life history and impact on host. whitebark and lodgepole pine from Alberta, Functional Ecology 31:2034-2050.

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 16 17 2018 SCIENCE CONFERENCE

The 2018 WPEF Annual SCIENCE CONFERENCE: Come Join Us in Stanley, Idaho

Submitted by Laura Lowrey and the Conference Planning Committee

The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem a field trip on Friday to Cache Creek Stay tuned: other opportunities for a day Foundation’s 2018 Science & Manage- Restoration project area on the Boise hikes to high mountain lakes surrounded ment Meeting this September is in National Forest accessed by an off-trail by whitebark pine will be posted on the Stanley, Idaho, the heart of central Idaho hike. During the hike, discussions will website soon, whitebark pine. Please come join us for a include efficacy of mechanical treatments https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/sawtooth great couple of days! completed prior to the back-to-back /recarea/?recid=5842. Conference wildfires of 2016 resulting in widely registration will be available online in the Stanley in the fall is an experience not to different impacts to the whitebark. near future and will be limited to the first be missed, a place for extraordinary 100 people who register. Keep checking beauty and recreation in all seasons. The Saturday’s field trip will be a short the WPEF website for accommodation spectacular backdrop of the snow-tipped morning drive to Basin Butte lookout just links and conference updates. Sawtooth Mountain Range and the nip in 10 miles north of Stanley for a spectacular the air will get your electrons vibrating view of a 2012 wildfire that severely Call for Silent Auction Items: the to explore the mountains and rivers. burned whitebark pine across the Salmon annual tradition continues! The Silent Discovered by fur trappers in 1820’s and River Mountains. Saturday’s field trip Auction will be held Friday, September named by a gold prospector, Stanley has will focus on management discussions 21st at the science meeting and during the not lost its rugged appeal and unparal- including plus tree needs, verbenone social that follows at the Mountain leled recreation opportunities. For the efficacy against mountain pine beetle- Village Bar/Restaurant with seating inside intrepid explorer there are 40 peaks over caused tree mortality, and partnering and a fire pit outside. Please consider 10,000 feet and over 300 high mountain across the Bitterroot Plateau seed zone. donating an item in support of student lakes within the Sawtooth National research grants. For more information Recreation area which includes the Reminder to Reserve Accommodations contact Glenda Scott Sawtooth Wilderness and the two newest as soon as possible! Stanley is becoming ([email protected]), or wildernesses in Idaho, the White Clouds more popular as a vacation destination and Liz Davy ([email protected]). and Hemingway-Boulders. traditional accommodations can be www.stanleycc.org limited, however camping and VRBO Call for Speakers: we will hear from a options abound. Rooms at the Mountain variety of speakers who have expertise in The meeting will start off with indoor Village Resort is reserved for meeting high elevation five-needle pine restoration presentations on Thursday held in the participants until August 20th, first-come, in dry and burned areas. Expect the latest town of Stanley at the Community first-serve, www.mountainvillage.com. research and operational findings! If Center with the theme, “Central Idaho: Other options can be found at, you’d like to give a presentation, please High, Dry and Burned”. Followed up by http://stanleycc.org/sleep/hotels-motels. contact [email protected].

17 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 TREASURER’S REPORT By Glenda Scott 2017 Income Sources The WPEF has accomplished a significant amount of work contributing to the restoration of whitebark pine and strategies in restoration, Membership 34% and a variety of education outlets including Nutcracker Notes, social media and confer- Dona�ons 26% ences. It is with the donations from members and caring community that we have made the Dona�ons/Grants-Dedicated 16% difference. USFS FHP-Project Website 4% Our expenses for 2017 exceeded the income AF-Restora�on Strategy 14% primarily because the restoration projects were funded with donations made in prior Merchandise Sales 6% years; and American Forests had yet to reimburse the Foundation for work completed from September through December. Conversely, we had not yet been invoiced for the BLM thinning project, which now has been paid. These items have been processed providing some much-needed operating funds. made by US federal employees to support the Custer/Gallatin National Forest. Fund tree non-profit organizations. release on the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat 2017- Where our money came from: • Idaho, Montana, Missoula GIVES Area, Wyoming BLM, in memory of Bob • Membership dues- The largest part of our campaigns- A one day of giving to support Means, WBP advocate. Work was complete in income the local community. 2017, billed and paid in 2018. • Member donations- To support operations • WBP Project website (partnership with the • Publish two editions of Nutcracker Notes- and education and specified for restoration or US Forest Service)- Comprehensive library premier publication with state of the science other specific activities. of reports from all the WPB projects funded information of whitebark pine and other • Foundation grants- In 2017, the Clif Family in part by the USFS Forest Pest Manage- five-needle pines. Foundation granted funds for the the citizen ment. Accessed on the WPEF website. • Maintain the website for education and science project: Holding on to whitebark pine • WBP National Restoration Strategy members services- http://whitebarkfound.org/ by reaching out to citizens. contract- Develop and implement a national Leading site for information on Foundation • Community Fundraisers: Generous donation whitebark pine strategy, in partnership with conferences, restoration project reports, past by Thomas Meagher Bar (Missoula) during American Forests and US Forest Service Nutcracker Notes editions, current research and Community Monday as well as support for publications, inventory processes, ski area our raffle; support by Montana Brewery What we accomplished: certification references. (Missoula) for our raffle fundraising after the • Support to the Science and Management • Initiate and co-sponsor the first phases of the Summit meeting. Conference- Incredible conference in Jasper, National Restoration Strategy- in conjunction • WPEF merchandise sales- Cool shirts, mugs Alberta, set in the Canadian Rockies, with American Forests and under contractual by Opportunity Resources crafters, stickers, complete with snow storms; great conference responsibility, completed the outreach to pint glasses and auction with support from the town. practitioners and to resource leaders to access • Annual meeting registration and donations- • Support student research- Research grant data and develop the Strategy. Co-lead Attendee registration; Parks Canada and the to Kiah Allen the study the level of hybridi- multi-day Summit with resource leaders. WPEF-Canadian chapter donated to defray zation of a non-native and native tree rust, • Maintain WBP restoration project website- the cost of the meeting. Croanrtium x flexilii, and the relative fitness Added project reports to the data base of • Silent auction donations – Annual meeting of the parental rusts onto their hosts as restoration projects, 2007 through 2017 projects auction items donated by members and compared to the hybrid rust. supported by the US Forest Service Forest supporters, with income from the successful • Restoration projects- Grant restoration Health Protection. Developing GIS mapping for bidders. funds for planting in Glacier Park and direct project location. • Combined Federal Campaign- Donations seeding in isolated areas of the Millie Fire on • Supported the citizen science project: Holding

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 18 on to whitebark pine by reaching out to community GIVES campaigns, community 2016 yearend balance $33,111 citizens. Provided field instruction to fundraisers, business support and grant 2017 yearend balance $8,713 leaders in the Wyoming whitebark range to opportunities to fulfill our mission. lead data collection on whitebark pine Already, in 2018, the Community Coop in Dedicated to restoration $1,625 health and nutcracker presence. Bozeman and the Glen Mueller family in Unrestricted funds $7,088 • Outreach for WBP friendly ski area honor of Glen’s 100th birthday have INCOME Membership $10,910 certification program- Continued engage- donated to support restoration activities. Dona�ons $8,615 ment with ski areas for their involvement in Board members met a challenge by Diane • Individual $3,288 education and conservation of whitebark Tomback to kick off the year with a little • Annual Mtg Registration $1,197 • Silent Auction $1,051 pine. extra cash in our treasury! Dona�ons for Restora�on $5,122 Fundraisers Outlook: the 2018 budget projections are Our biggest financial challenge is to engage • Community Events- $1,720 • Combined Federal Campaign $895 like 2017 with the addition of income from like-minded donors to support the work we • GIVES campaigns $463 the National Restoration Strategy contract. do to suppport education, restoration, and Merchandise Sales $1,851 The executive assistant’s time will be research in whitebark pine ecosystems. We US Forest Service- Project Website $1,335 directed to this work, relying on the hope you, as members, will stretch your American Forests- Na�onal $4,454 Restora�on Strategy volunteer efforts of the Board of Directors feelers to engage partners who may be able Other $16 and Foundation members to take up some of to provide in-kind services and financial TOTAL INCOME 2017 $32,302 her typical workload. support. Please refer to the following chart for finance details and direct budget EXPENSES The Board has decided not to continue with questions to treasurer, Glenda Scott, Opera�ng $12,374 • Supplies/subscriptions $541 the Combined Federal Campaign beyond [email protected] or any • Liability Insurance $1,193 2018 as the associated fees do not justify board member. • Postage-Mailing $584 • Professional fees $300 our involvement. We will continue with the • Bank fees $207 • Director travel $1,284 • Exec Asst wages $6,612 • Taxes/Work Compt 1652 Educa�on/Outreach $8,936 • Nutcracker Notes $2,880 • 2017Annual Meeting $1,738 • 2018 Meeting deposit $250 • WPEF website maintenance $856 • Citizen Science project $4,500 • Executive Asst $2,708 • Taxes $504 Ski Area Cer�fica�on Program $267 • Executive Asst $225 • Taxes $42 Fundraising/Grant Proposals $3,708 • Combine Fed Campaign fee $940 • ID Gives/MT Gives $100 registration • Executive Asst $2,249 • Taxes $419 Student Research Grant $1,000 Restora�on Projects $9,277 • Glacier NP planting $5,000 • Custer/Gallatin NF seeding $4,000 • Executive Asst $234 • Taxes $44 WBP Project website $1,142 • Web related $320 • Exec Asst $693 Courtesy Ben Wilson • Taxes $129 Na�onal Restora�on Strategy $12,693 • Operating/Insurance $810 • WPEF website $441 • Summit Field Trip $410 • Travel-Director $4,811 • Executive Asst $5,245 • Taxes $977 TOTAL EXPENSES 2017 $56,701

19 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 MEMBERSHIP REPORT By Michael Murray Currently, our membership total seems to be experiencing an eclipse. We have historically maintained our ranks above 150 people. However, as of April 1, 2018, our presence in numbers, has dimmed.

Total Eclipse, August 21 (Umatilla NF)

The greatest reduction seems to be displayed and sometimes playing, alongside such an of the District Rangers I mentioned earlier – in our basic membership level (Whitebark). incredible array of folks. awesome!). Moreover, our annual meeting (Jasper, Alberta) did not recruit as many folks as Please share our greatness! If you’re on And finally, thanks to the many renewing expected. Is the weak Canadian dollar (ca. social media, there’s many ways to keep and NEW members! I’m always excited to 75% value of USD) a factor? Is this just a WPEF in the spotlight. For example, share see new names and faces come in the mail or celestial anomaly? posts from our Facebook Page, or submit at our meetings. Welcome! your own links to our FB guru: Although the quantity of members is stalling, [email protected]. the incredible wealth of experiences and Consider hosting an event in your town to backgrounds we represent is stunning. We recruit members. Write a letter to the local have District Rangers, Scientists, Professors, newspaper editor. The opportunities are out Students, Land Managers, Nature Enthusi- there. asts, Book Authors, and more. One member was Director of Wildlife for the US Forest A big thanks to Bryan Donner, our retiring Service. Another retiree was Chief Botanist Membership Director. Bryan is a founding in Canada’s federal government. Speaking member of WPEF and provided more than for myself, I feel so fortunate to be working, 16 years of service in the role! (Bryan is one Bryan Donner

LIMBER continued from page 4 permanently tagged and individually levels and limber pine stems were and ROPL. Given the mix of land assessed. Assessments included examined for WPBR. ownership and access issues, we estimate diameter, condition, height, growth form, that approximately 90 of these plots will cone abundance and damage agents. This study will provide a baseline of be accessible for sampling. In 2017 Trees with WPBR were assessed for current condition of limber pine in this protocols were established and refined, crown and stem impacts, number of live area, and repeated sampling in the future personnel were trained in field methods, and dead cankers, and canker lengths. could detect change and trend over time. and 45 plots were installed and measured. Three 11.8 ft.-radius vegetation survey Most importantly, this effort will inform We plan to install the remaining plots in subplots were established at equal management efforts to maintain this 2018. Plots were constructed in a 200 x increments along the principal transect. iconic part of the landscape. 50 foot rectangle and included at least 30 Regeneration (< 4.5 ft.) of all species limber pine stems (> 4.5 ft.) which were was counted on sub- and whole-plot Dave Hanna: [email protected]

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 20 BOARD NEWS Meet our board member Kathy Tonnessen

Who are you and what are your interests? technical meetings of the I am Kathy Tonnessen and I was elected to Whitebark Pine Ecosystem the Board of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation over the years, Foundation in December 2017. including the excellent symposium recently held in I got busy right away on the Education Jasper, Alberta. Committee, and have worked on two Citizen Science grant applications in the early days of The enthusiasm and dedication 2018. I retired from the National Park of the WPEF members and Service, Rocky Mountains Cooperative leadership have impressed me. Ecosystems Studies Unit, in 2014 and have As a retiree I was looking for a been doing a lot of travelling, kayaking, way to use my research hiking and cross-country skiing around administration skills to help western North America and Alaska. preserve, protect and restore mountain ecosystems. My specialty with the NPS and with the California Air Resources Board before that Working with the WPEF gives was the effects of air pollution on natural me that opportunity. And I get resources and high-elevation lakes. I still to continue to attend technical have a fondness for the mountain lakes of the meetings in some really scenic Sierra Nevada, California, where I did my spots in western North Ph.D. dissertation work while at the Univer- America. sity of California, Berkeley.

What piqued your interest in whitebark What is a book and movie that changed What place in the world would you pine? your life? most like to see? While working with the Rocky Mountain While in graduate school in Berkeley I My Norwegian father inspired me to want National Parks (Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand read Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach, a to spend time in the Nordic countries. I Teton, Rocky Mountain National Parks) I was utopian fantasy about northern California, have visited and skied in Norway, but educated by the park resources staff about the Oregon and Washington breaking away would like to round out that experience loss of five-needle pine due to blister rust and from the rest of the United States to form with trips to Iceland and Greenland. bark beetle (and climate change and fire a sustainable “country”. exclusion). Then I want to complete the Viking It describes how we might evolve into as migration by visiting the L’Anse aux I worked with a number of graduate students “biology conscious” society. This was Meadows site in Newfoundland, Canada. who were investigating Whitebark pine and pretty revolutionary even for the 1970’s Clark’s nutcracker ecology, and I helped to Bay Area community. Are you a dog or cat person? sponsor the High Five Symposium in I identify more with alpine fauna, such as Missoula. Living in western Montana, it is This book, along with the dedication to picas, lynxes and wolverines. These hard to avoid the reality of loss of our high energy conservation and restoration of critters are fascinating, and gravely elevation forests, especially in Glacier natural ecosystems of my Energy and threatened by climate change and National Park. Resources colleagues at Berkeley ecosystem change. (including Dr. John Holdren, former Why did you decide to be a board Science Advisor to President Obama), member? lead me into a career involved with I have attended a number of the annual ecosystem protection.

21 | www.whitebarkfound.org Spring 2018 Help Restore Whitebark Pine

Wednesday May 16, 5-8 pm

Northside KettleHouse

Community UNite

313 N. 1st Street Missoula

Lots of fun with raffles, swag, beer, friends & supporters

Spring 2018 www.whitebarkfound.org | 22 PO Box 17943 Missoula, MT 59808 www.whitebarkfound.org

SAVE THE DATE Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation’s Annual Science & Management Conference September 20-22, 2018 Community Center, Stanley, Idaho WPEF’s 17th annual conference will showcase: The latest news, science, and management tips for practitioners, students, educators, the public, and others with an interest in dwindling five-needled pines.

Exceptional on-the-ground learning experience by visiting high-elevation forests with interpretation by experts.

Opportunities for improving cross-border networks. Find more information and register on the web: www.whitebarkfound.org

Show your support for Whitebark Pine and shop our online store

T SHIRTS www.whitebarkfound.org