Whitebark pine (pinus albicaulis) is a foundation species in subalpine ecosystems of the western united states.populations are declining rapidly due to four interrelated threats: white pine blister…

The Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $119,017 Cooperative Agreement under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657) to Central Washington University. The project aims to survey natural regeneration and survival of planted whitebark pine seeds and seedlings across Washington State. It will evaluate factors influencing regeneration, such as wildfire history and competing species, to produce a statewide map predicting whitebark pine regeneration levels. This will help identify areas requiring active restoration and inform future whitebark pine conservation and recovery efforts. The project period is from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.

Whitebark pine (pinus albicaulis) is a foundation species in subalpine ecosystems of the western united states.populations are declining rapidly due to four interrelated threats: white pine blister rust, a fungal diseasecaused by the nonnative pathogen cronartium ribicola mountain pine beetle (dendroctonus ponderosae) attacks altered fire regimes and the effects of climate change. These factors have led to its listing as threatenedunder the endangered species act (U.S. Fish and wildlife service 2022). The U.S. Fish and wildlife servicespecies status assessment (2021) identifies several key knowledge gaps that limit predictions of whitebark pinedynamics. These include insufficient data on natural regeneration levels, the effectiveness of silviculturetreatments and planting, the degree of shade tolerance and resilience to suppression, and the impact of increasedwildfire. Our project addresses these gaps by surveying natural regeneration and survival of planted seeds andseedlings across the range of whitebark pine in washington state. We will evaluate the relationship betweenregeneration and potentially important factors, including wildfire history and presence of competing species, toproduce a statewide map predicting regeneration levels. Our study will (1) identify areas with naturalregeneration and those that may require active restoration, and (2) provide information regarding the success ofpast planting and silviculture treatment. These results will be made available to inform future restorationefforts.