Biophysical Gradients and Performance of Whitebark Pine Plantings in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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...

Whitebark Pine, Population Density, and Home-Range Size of Grizzly Bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Changes in life history traits of species can be an important indicator of potential factors influencing populations. For grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), recent decline of whitebark pine (WBP; Pinus albicaulis), an important fall food resource, has been paired with a slowing of population growth following two decades of robust population increase. These ...

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...

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

Moderate resolution satellite imagery traditionally has been thought to be inadequate for mapping vegetation at the species level. This has made comprehensive mapping of regional distributions of sensitive species, such as whitebark pine, either impractical or extremely time consuming. We sought to determine whether using a combination of moderate resolution satellite imagery (Landsat Enhanced ...

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