Status of the Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) in Alberta. /

Abstract

This report has been reviewed, revised, and edited prior to publication.It is an SRD/ACA working document that will be revised and updated periodically. that occur in the province. Such designations are determined from extensive consultations with professional and amateur biologists, and from a variety of readily available sources of population data. A key objective of these reviews is to identify species that may be considered for more detailed status determinations.The Alberta Wildlife Status Report Series is an extension of the general status exercise, and provides comprehensive current summaries of the biological status of selected wildlife species in Alberta. Priority is given to species that are At Risk or May Be At Risk in the province, that are of uncertain status ( Undetermined ), or that are considered to be at risk at a national level by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).Reports in this series are published and distributed by the Alberta Conservation Association and the Fish and Wildlife Division of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. They are intended to provide detailed and up-to-date information that will be useful to resource professionals for managing populations of species and their habitats in the province. The reports are also designed to provide current information that will assist Alberta's Endangered Species Conservation Committee in identifying species that may be formally designated as Endangered or Threatened under Alberta's Wildlife Act. To achieve these goals, the reports have been authored and/or reviewed by individuals with unique local expertise in the biology and management of each species.iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis ) is found in high elevation forests in the mountainous regions of western North America. This hardy tree is a "keystone" species, as its seeds provide an important food source for a number of animals including squirrels, bears and, in particular, Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga Columbiana). In Alberta, the species is found in isolated populations in the Rocky Mountains from Willmore Wilderness Park south to the Canada-U.S. border. However, exact numbers of individuals are difficult to estimate because of limited stand inventory throughout its provincial distribution.There are four main human-caused threats to whitebark pine throughout its range: 1) white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola ), an introduced fungus species; 2) increased presence of mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae); 3) prolonged widespread fire suppression; and 4) rapid global climate change. In Alberta, the greatest threat is white pine blister rust. The vast majority of whitebark pine stands in Alberta are infected with this introduced fungus, which has already caused significant mortality in many stands, with the greatest effects evident in southern Alberta.A number of initiatives is needed for effective conservation and restoration of Alberta whitebark pine. Such initiatives include a detailed inventory of the speci...

Targeted Capture Sequencing in Whitebark Pine Reveals Range-Wide Demographic and Adaptive Patterns Despite Challenges of a Large, Repetitive Genome

“…Whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis ) has an expansive range occurring across ∼340,000 square kilometers in the western U.S. and Canada ( Figure 1 ; Wilson, 2007 ; COSEWIC, 2010 ). There are an estimated 200 million individuals of whitebark pine in Canada ( COSEWIC, 2010 ), with a potential 300–400 million individuals range-wide.…”

Autumn Snowfall Controls the Annual Radial Growth of Centenarian Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) in the Southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia, Canada

“…The Area of Occupancy (AO) based on the area of mapped polygons is estimated for Alberta as 1099 sq km (Wilson 2007) and for British Columbia as 5610 sq km (BC-CDC 2007), for a Canadian total of 6709 sq km. These AO numbers are underestimates since the detailed, stand-level distribution of Whitebark Pine is not known.…”

“…The IAO is estimated for Alberta at 7148 sq km (Wilson 2007) and for British Columbia at 40,824 sq km based on a current distribution map for British Columbia (Campbell pers. comm.…”

Language, Land, and Stewardship

“…the human-aided movement of species within or beyond their historical range, with the intent to facilitate adaptation to predicted climate change). For example, British Columbia has the largest Canadian assisted migration trial and assisted migration is being used as a conservation strategy for two high elevation pines, whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis) (British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, 2013;Langor, 2007;Wilson, 2007). Assisted migration research results will impact forest management climate change adaptation strategies (Pedlar et al, 2012;Wang et al, 2012;Leech et al, 2011).…”