Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is an iconic North American high-elevation tree species currently threatened by climate change, mountain pine beetle, and white pine blister rust (WPBR), a lethal disease caused by the non-native fungal pathogen Cronartium ribicola. In collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Dorena Genetic Resource Center, germplasm was...
Mountain pine beetle populations began increasing in Glacier National Park in 1970. Numbers of infested trees increased steadily from an average of 12 to 115 per hectare from 1972 to 1976. Total hectares of infestation have increased from 445 in 1972 to 40,419 ha in 1976. Predictive equations estimate a...