Whitebark Pine Community Processes, Environment And Human Impacts: Revisiting MSU work of 1971-2000.

Abstract

Revisiting 30 years of whitebark pine (WBP, Pinus albicaulis)/30 WBP papers, using a sample of 47 stands, I document the remarkable openness of WBP stands. We show strong self thinning and seedling failure, related to soils, not light and ongoing production/decomposition though 600 years. WBP's remarkable multiple stemmed trees arise from seed caches/poly-embryony combined with lack of light competition. WBP's usual timberline range seems limited upward by growing season length, wind, growing season length, and soil condition and downward by competition, none much directly temperature related. Human impacts discussed include foraging, trampling/compaction, exotic invasion, and white pine blister rust. These may be significantly ameliorated by introduction of genes from resistant European stone pine species.