Help the Whitebark Pine Species!

On December 25th, 2022 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule (87 FR 76882) to list the Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Whitebark Pine is an important component of western high-elevation forests, their populations have been declining in both the United States and Canada from combined effects. Warmer temperature trends have triggered epidemic outbreaks of the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and lowered the trees’ resistance to white pine blister rust, caused by a nonnative fungus (Cronartium ribicola), both of which have killed millions of trees. Historical fire suppression allowed the march of more shade-tolerant competitors into Whitebark pine habitat, replacing this species through succession. 

Photo sourced from "Conservation and Management of Whitebark Pine Ecosystems on Bureau of Land Management Lands in the Western United States"

The overall goal of this project is to provide the BLM with Whitebark Pine seeds so they can study this specific Whitebark Pine population's resiliency towards known killers, propagate seeds, and keep seeds in a seed bank for dispersal at a later time in the event of a fire or population die-off. 

The Whitebark Pine is considered a keystone species, meaning it increases the biodiversity of a community because of the important and critical role it plays in the lifecycle of many other species. This tree provides shelter and food for numerous other plants and animals so the work we are doing is an important step in helping save this tree and its surrounding ecosystem. 

This project has two parts. This RSVP page is for part two of the project.

For this project we will return to the Pine Forest Range Wilderness. Here we will be hiking to and working with small, isolated populations of Whitebark Pine. During this project we will be removing the cages we placed during the first project in June and collecting the mature pine cones. These collected pine cones will be delivered to the BLM for future studies.

Read about Pine Forest Range Wilderness!

Check out last years photos from the Whitebark Pine Project!

Information

Difficulty: Most Challenging - See our difficulty rating scale here. Strenuous with longer hikes, off-trail hiking, sometimes with significant elevation changes. These trips are very challenging and require excellent aerobic conditioning, past experience in outdoor settings, and familiarity with backcountry hiking and/or camping. Not for beginners.

Location: Pine Forest Range Wilderness 

Dates: October 11th - October 13th

Travel: 4WD and high clearance required. A limited number of spots are available in Friends trucks.

Food: Breakfast and coffee are provided Saturday and Sunday as well as a big group Dinner Saturday night with dessert!

Gear/Clothing: Please wear long sleeves, long pants, and sturdy work or hiking shoes. Camping equipment: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Camping gear available for loan. Suggested Packing List 

More Details: In-depth information such as camping location, weather, and project specifics will be sent out about a week before to those who have RSVP'd

Questions?: Check out our FAQ page or email [email protected]

RSVP is required to participate.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness and our partners put a great deal of time and resources into organizing volunteer projects. When you RSVP you are committing to join us on that project. We understand circumstances may arise where you need to cancel. So, if you’re no longer able to attend, please cancel your RSVP as soon as possible so another volunteer can join the project. You can cancel your RSVP through the cancellation link in your project confirmation email or by emailing [email protected].