Whitebark Pine

Tree of the Week
Theme: Cold Weather Champions

  Whitebark pine, also known as Pinus albicaulis, are found in high mountain landscapes in western North America and Canada. Grow in the western united states and canada areas such as sierra nevada, the cascade range, the pacific coast range and the rocky mountain. In these areas the whitebark pine are typically the highest elevation pine tree. They prefer cold windy, snowy, and moist climate. Temperatures around -5C (25F) in January are perfect for the trees development and growth, though they can withstand much harsher conditions.

  Whitebark pine is one of a group of pines found in the same regions. They tend to be slow growing but long lived trees; depending on the conditions whitebark pines can live up to 250 years or more. Their height varies but in good conditions will grow between 40 and 60 feet. At the limit of their range this species stays low to the ground and only grows to about 3 feet or less. Their needle shaped leaves grow in bundles of five, which is different from other members of the group such as lodgepole pine which have two needles per bundle. The needles, which are short and rigid, grow from 1 to 3 inches long with a green- yellow color. Another distinguishing set of features of whitebark pines are their cones. The Whitebark pine is monecious, producing both male and female flowers and cones on the same tree. Male cones are pinkish while the female cones are deep red and sometimes purple. Both cones remains on the tree for several years.

  The seeds inside of the cone are essential to the animals that live in that area. Small mammals and birds such as nutcrackers, woodpeckers, finches, and other granivorous birds all depend on the seeds from this tree as part of their diet. Human also eat their seed, sometimes raw or roasted after collecting them during the fall season.

  The Whitebark pine plays an important ecological role in the places where it grows. Because the tree can grow in harsh climates and poor and rocky mountainous soils the roots of whitebark pine stabilize that soil and protect the watershed at large. But there are environmental factors that have led to a decline in population of this tree. In some populations a fungal disease called white pine rust is killing these trees but a much more threatening pest is the mountain pine beetle which has ravages pines west of the Rocky Mountains. At the moment they are kept at bay by the harsh climates in the high peaks of the Rockies and northern Canada but if climatic changes continue this pest could break out to the east which would unleash yet more devastation on our nation’s forest.