Widespread tree death from beetle infestations, tree disease
outbreaks affecting seed production
There's trouble ahead for the whitebark pine, a mountain
tree that's integral to wildlife and water resources in the western United
States and Canada.
Over the last decade, some populations of whitebark pines
have declined by more than 90 percent. But these declines may be just the
beginning.
New research results, supported by the National Science
Foundation (NSF) and published today in the Journal of Ecology, suggest that as
pine stands are increasingly fragmented by widespread tree death, surviving
trees may be hindered in their ability to produce their usually abundant seeds.