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Assessment of whitebark pine mortality in the mountainareas of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the

associated ecological implications

W. W. Macfarlane, J. A. Logan and W.R. Kern

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The Greater Yellowstone

Ecosystem (GYE)

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Their strength lies in their numbers

andtheir jaws

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Jeff Hicke 2005

Jesse A. Logan 2009

A Climate Change Issue

Winters are becoming mild enough that even adult beetles, a freezeintolerant stage, are surviving => Spring re-emergence of parent adults.

Brood produced by re-emerged adults may experience enough thermal

energy to complete the life cycle within the same year of attack.

Due to reduced chemical defenses (vs. lodgepole pine), these survivingbeetles, at even relatively low densities, are able to kill whitebark pine

trees.

The combination of a warming climate and the vulnerability of whitebark

pine to attacking beetles has resulted in a shift from non-overlapping,

semivoltine (life cycle requiring two years to complete) generations to

overlapping, bi-modal, univoltine (life cycle completed in a single year).

Resulting in unprecedented levels of outbreaks both in intensity and

spatial distribution (i.e., high-elevation systems).

1999

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Resulting in an alarming level of mortality in previously

inhospitable high elevation whitebark pine forests

EcoFlight 2007

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2009Research Response

2009

We developed and used an aerial

survey method to inventorymountain pine beetle-related

mortality in whitebark pine, across

the entire GYE.

Landscape Assessment System (LAS)

A collaboration between USDA

Forest Service, GYCC Whitebark

Subcommittee , Geo-Graphics

and NRDC.

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LAS Aerial Survey MethodA tool for mapping the extent and intensity of MPB-related

mortality in WBP

Flightlines consisted of 8,673 km and

were parallel with a fixed interval of

approximately 8 km apart (4 km oneach side of the plane).

Flightlines run parallel and along side

mountain ridges instead of over the

crest to ensure higher quality oblique

photos.

A total of 4,653 photos in 2,595

small catchments were captured

GYE Study Area and 2009 LAS Flightlines:

Flight height: 300-600 m

above ground elevation

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1 -Occasional spots ofred trees on the landscape

3 Coalescing spots of red and graytrees across the landscape.

4 Sea -of -Red where approximately 95% +of the visible forest is dead

5-6 -Post outbreak forest mortalityratings (gray forest)

2 -Multiple spots of red and gray treeson the landscape

LAS Mountain Pine Beetle-related Mortality Categories

O -No unusual mountain pine beetle-causedmortality (refers to landscapes that may contain theoccasional red tree but there is no evidence of mortality

expanding to neighboring trees)

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Small Catchment

Mortality Map

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Photo by JOHN McCOLGAN/BLM Alaska Fire Service

Jeff Henry, July 23, 1988

Dunraven Pass - Kathy Peterson; Sept. 1988

Jim Peaco, 1988

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Serious ecological consequences are

already in motion

(1) Reproductive strategies of whitebark asymmetric

mutualismShawn T. MCKinney, Carl E. Fiedler, AND Diana F. Tomback. 2009.

Invasive pathogen threatens birdpine mutualism: implications for sustaining a

high-elevation ecosystem. Ecol. Appl. 19: 597-607.

(2) Size and scale of disturbance event

(3) Lack of co-evolved history with whitebark

Chemical defenses

Raffa, Bentz, Six & Studentsfungal associates Six & Bentz & their Students

(4) Distribution of whitebark/lodgepole forest in the GYE

(5) Synergism with WPBRSix, D. L., and J. Adams. 2006. White pine blister rust severity and selection of

individual whitebark pine by the mountain pine beetle. J. Entomol. Sci. 47: 345-

353.

(6)Serious questions of ecosystem resiliency (See poster)

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Fire Landscape Spatial Pattern

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Main goal: assess ecological

implications using wildliferesponses to ongoingwhitebark mortality

At what level of

whitebark mortality doesa forest stop performingcertain ecologicalfunctions?

This will help managersfocus protection andrestoration efforts inareas most likely tomaintain/ regainecological function

2010-11 Research

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Acknowledgments: USDA Forest Service, Natural Resources Defense Council