The Greenspace blog in the LA Times reported that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has seen a large decline in Whitebark Pines. They said it deserves to be placed on the endangered specie list but did not do so due to a lack of funding and resources. Instead they declared it a candidate species.
The Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a very important food source for birds and bears. Threats to the Whitebark Pine include habitat loss, mortality from white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle, catastrophic fire and fire suppression, climate change, and the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms. The Seattle Times reported:
“Trees on an estimated 2 million acres across the West were killed by the beetles two years ago, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. In some areas, 80 to 95 percent of trees with the beetles were killed as a changing climate has allowed the beetles to take hold in new areas, the agency said.”
Read more at: Whitebark pine in peril – latimes.com. and in the Seattle Times Whitebark pines ailing but don’t get protections
Related articles
- Western Pine Merits Protection, Agency Says (green.blogs.nytimes.com)
- Whitebark pines ailing but don’t get protections (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
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