Two pines in decline: Conservation and restoration of five-needle pines at Waterton Lakes National Park

As keystone species of high-elevation forests in Western Canada, Whitebark and Limber Pine both have beneficial influences on other species and natural communities. For example, their seeds are nutritional foods for birds, squirrels and bears, and their growth influences snowmelt, soil development and the habitat conditions of other subalpine plants. When the health of Whitebark and Limber Pine suffers, so too do the species and ecosystems they support. That’s what’s happening in the mountain national parks. The two pines are in decline across all the mountain national parks — Jasper, Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, Banff, Kootenay, Yoho, and Waterton Lakes, with Limber Pine found only in the latter four parks. Both are threatened by a combination of White Pine Blister Rust (a Eurasian fungal disease), Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) outbreaks, and historic fire suppression, all of which are exacerbated by climate change. Approach: — Increase the frequency of trees that have resistance to White Pine Blister Rust. — Minimize the losses of trees and genetic diversity to MPB. — Implement prescribed fire on the landscape to restore five-needle pines. — Reduce mortality of five-needle pine stands from wildfire. — Improve mapping and inventory data. More information: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/conservation/ecologique-ecological#five-needle-pine