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Assessing the Impact of Blister Rust Infected
Whitebark Pine in the Alpine Treelines of Glacier
National Park and the Beartooth Plateau, U.S.A.
Emily K. Smith-McKenna*
PhD Student, GEA program
Dr. Lynn M. Resler
Associate Professor
Department of Geography
Virginia Tech, U.S.A.
Topics Discussed
Background: Whitebark Pine, Blister Rust,
and Treeline
Data Collection and Analysis
Preliminary Findings
Continuing Research
Importance of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis)
A high elevation five-needled white pine that serves multiple
roles as a foundation and keystone species (Keane and Arno, 1993; Kendall, 1994; Resler and Tomback, 2008)
Provides many ecosystem services:
Provides food for wildlife (Grizzly Bears, Red Squirrels, Clark’s Nutcracker)
Facilitates other tree species
Stabilizes soil, rock, preserves snowpack
Don Piggott USGS,1999
Decline of Whitebark Pine
Whitebark Pine is distributed throughout Western North American Mountain Ranges
Found in high elevation forests Subalpine, as erect trees
Alpine, dwarfed, krummholz form
One reason for decline (in addition to
mountain pine beetle, fire suppression)
is White Pine Blister Rust
(Cronartium ribicola) which has
devastated populations of
subalpine whitebark pine. (Keane and Arno, 1993)
Highest infection rate in subalpine
Northern Rockies Infection levels 70-90% (Kendall and Keane, 2001) (Kendall, 1995)
Blister Rust Incidence
Blister Rust canker
with aecial sacs on
Whitebark pine
Exotic, invasive, fungal disease (Cronartium ribicola)
Two host species needed to complete life cycle
White pine (host species)
Ribes species (alternate host species)
Black Currants, Gooseberries
Other potential alternate hosts are: Scarlet
Indian Paintbrush, and Sickletop Lousewort (McDonald et al., 2006)
Ribes spp.
Five cycles of spore production
Transfer between alternate host plant and
White pine
Returns to white pine to complete life cycle (Hoff and Hagle, 1990)
Ramifications to Alpine Treeline
Vegetation response to changing climate
(Hall and Fagre, 2003)
Blister rust was originally thought to be more prevalent in milder, moist climates (Van Arsdel et al.,1956)
Researchers have discovered that it can spread to dryer, colder regions of WBP ecosystems (Resler and Tomback, 2008)
How does disease effect treeline dynamics?
Declining WBP populations
Decline in tree islands?
Change in treeline dynamics
Treeline response to climate?
Research Objectives
1) To investigate and quantify blister rust incidence and
intensity in the alpine treeline ecotone
Across a N-S latitudinal range east of Continental Divide
Sample whitebark pine, enumerate cankers
Treeline study areas in Glacier National Park, Beartooth Plateau
2) To determine what environmental variables correlate
strongly to the intensity of blister rust incident areas.
Characterize the terrain and derive topographic factors with a
GPS-created DEM
GPS Whitebark Pine and other conifers in plot
Derive variables in a GIS
Distance to water
Topographic variables
Sampling Blister Rust Incidence
Quadrat Sampling
Sample WBP/BR incidence at alpine treeline ecotone
15m x 15m Quads
15m
15m
• # Whitebark Pine
• # Cankers, if any
• Intensity of Blister Rust
• Measure environmental
conditions
Background Weather Data
Monitoring weather during growing season:
July-September
Wind direction/speed/gusts
Temp/Relative Humidity
Soil Moisture
PAR (photosynthetically
active radiation)
Modeling Terrain: Creating a High
Resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
Create DEM for
each Quad in GNP
Generate Elevation
Surfaces
Geostatistical Analysis
= Finalize DEMs
GPS-derived DEM
Pilot Study
•Compare w/ LiDAR
•Develop field technique
(MS. in progress, Smith et al.)
Data Analysis: Derive Variables in GIS
• Slope
• Aspect
• Curvature
• Flow Accumulation
• Potential Solar Radiation
• Distance to Perennial Stream
• Distance to Lakes
• Distance to Wetlands
Derive Variables in GIS
Data Analysis: Compare to Field Observations
• Slope
• Aspect
• Curvature
• Flow Accumulation
• Potential Solar Radiation
• Distance to Perennial Stream
• Distance to Lakes
• Distance to Wetlands
Derive Variables in GIS
• Density of Blister Rust:
Total Cankers per Whitebark
Compare Variables to
Blister Rust Intensity
Treeline Research: 2008
2008 Research Study, Glacier National Park (M.S. Thesis work)
30 sampling plots
Among 6 treelines
N = 333 WBP
46% BR infection
Largest WBP
population at
White Calf/Divide
Mountain
Treeline Research: 2010
2010 Research in Glacier National Park and Beartooth Plateau
(NSF Grant awarded to Lynn Resler, Diana Tomback, George Malanson)
30 sampling
plots Glacier NP
N = 581 WBP
24% BR infection
30 sampling
plots Beartooth
N = 326 WBP
20% BR infection
Treeline Implications
WBP growing in lee of rock
Dead WBP, former Initiator of tree island
Dead WBP, most due to Blister Rust
Treeline Implications
Size of patch seems to influence infection
A significant correlation (rs = 0.36, p < 0.001) existed between length of
the tree island and incidence of active and inactive blister rust cankers.
Length of the longest dimension of the tree islands ranged from 0.02 to
35 m. (Resler and Tomback, 2008).
Whitebark pine associated with tree islands had higher blister rust
intensity than solitary trees. (Smith, 2009)
Whitebark pine in tree islands: N=219, 56% infected, 581 total cankers (2.65 cankers per tree)
Solitary whitebark pine: N=114, 29% infected, 97 total cankers (0.85 cankers per tree)
Treeline Implications
How does Blister Rust affect treeline dynamics?
How will the absence of WBP affect
patch dynamics?
Research continues…
Expand latitudinal range of study Conduct WBP and Blister
Rust sampling in Jasper and Banff Park, Alberta Canada
Tree island metrics
Model surface terrain
Examine spatial relationships between environmental variables and blister rust incidence
Model Treeline Dynamics NetLogo
Consider environmental factors
Integrate field observations in a simulated, learning environment
Acknowledgements
Financial Support:
NSF, funded project awarded to Lynn Resler, Diana
Tomback, and George Malanson
Graduate Research Development Program, Virginia
Tech
Department of Geography, Virginia Tech
Field Assistance:
2010: Lauren Franklin, Kathryn Prociv, Diana
Tomback, Jill Pyatt, Sarah Blakeslee
2008: Lynn Resler, Amos Desjardins,
Allisyn Hudson-Dunn, Cindy Smith, Matt Foley
Questions?
References Cited
Butler, D. R., G. P. Malanson, S. J. Walsh, and D. B. Fagre. 2007. Influences of geomorphology and geology on alpine treeline in the American West - More important than climatic influences? Physical Geography 28 (5):434-450.
Hall, M. H. P., and D. B. Fagre. 2003. Modeled Climate-Induced Glacier Change in Glacier National Park, 1850-2100. BioScience 53 (2): 131-140.
Keane, R. E., and S. F. Arno. 1993. Rapid decline of whitebark pine in western Montana: evidence from 20-year remeasurements. Western journal of applied forestry 8 (2):44-47.
Kendall, K. C., and R. E. Keane. 2001. Whitebark pine decline: infection, mortality, and population trends. In Tomback, D. F., S. F. Arno, and R.E. Keane. (eds.), Whitebark pine communities: Ecology and restoration. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 221-242.
Kendall, K. C. 1994. Whitebark pine conservation in North American National Parks. In Proceedings : International Workshop on Subalpine Stone Pines and Their Environment: the Status of Our Knowledge, St. Moritz, Switzerland, September 5-11, 1992, 302-307. Ogden, Utah: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
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