RWPE - Restoring Whitebark Pine Ecosystems

Evaluating effects of various prescribed burning and silvicultural techniques used for restoring whitebark pine ecosystems (RWPE)

The loss of whitebark pine is serious for upper subalpine ecosystems because it is considered a keystone species across most of its range, producing large seeds that are an important food source for more than 110 animal species. This extensive, long-term study, documents the effects of several ecosystem restoration treatments implement at five high elevation sites in the northern Rocky Mountains. These treatments included prescribed fire, thinning, selection cuttings, and fuel enhancement cuttings. We evaluated fuel consumption, tree mortality, and undergrowth vegetation response measured at three time periods. There is a management guide that presents statistical summaries, treatment descriptions, and photographs by treatment unit at each time interval. This guide is intended as a reference to identify possible impacts of a restoration treatment at a fine scale by matching a proposed treatment for a stand to the most similar treatment unit presented in this report based on vegetation conditions, fire regime and geographical area. Since data summaries are for individual treatment units, there are no analyses of differences across treatment units or across research sites.

For geographical information on this project and how it fits with other Fire Lab Whitebark Pine research, visit the Whitebark Pine Story Map.

Images

plot area
plot area
site map
site map
Fall shades and new growth, Beaver Ridge, ID
Fall shades and new growth, Beaver Ridge, ID
(Credit: Sarah Flanary)
Coyote Meadows, Sapphire Range, MT
Coyote Meadows, Sapphire Range, MT
(Credit: Sarah Flanary)
Field gear at Coyote Meadows, Sapphire Range, MT
Field gear at Coyote Meadows, Sapphire Range, MT
(Credit: Sarah Flanary)
Prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
Prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
View from a treated stand
View from a treated stand
Prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
Prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
Fall colors and flame, prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
Fall colors and flame, prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
Vegetation identification, Moran Junction, WY
Vegetation identification, Moran Junction, WY
Tendoy Mountains, MT
Tendoy Mountains, MT
Bear marking on whitebark
Bear marking on whitebark
Prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
Prescribed burn, Mink Peak, Lolo National Forest
Inspecting a whitebark seedling in early morning snow.
Inspecting a whitebark seedling in early morning snow.
(Credit: Signe Leirfallom)
Daylighting around a healthy whitebark pine; removing all tree competitors
Daylighting around a healthy whitebark pine; removing all tree competitors
Looking over an old burn, Madison Range, MT
Looking over an old burn, Madison Range, MT
(Credit: Signe Lierfallom)

Audio and Video

Whitebark Pine ecology video snippet by Bob Keane

Brief video highlighting Bob Keane's fire ecology project work with "Whitebark pine ecology". Whitebark pine is a keystone species on which many other plant and animal species depend so restoration of this critical ecosystem is a major management concern for many land management agencies.

Select Publications & Products

Keane, R.E. 2018. Managing Wildfire for Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Restoration in western North America. Forests 9:648.

Keane, Robert E.; Parsons, Russell A. 2010. Management guide to ecosystem restoration treatments: Whitebark pine forests of the northern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-232. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 133 p.

Keane, R.E. and R. Parsons. 2010. Restoring whitebark pine ecosystems in the Northern Rocky Mountains, USA. Ecological Restoration 28(1):56-70.

Keane, R.E. 2011. Restoring whitebark pine ecosystems in the Northern Rocky Mountains, USA. Pages 338-348 In: Keane, Robert E.; Tomback, Diana F.; Murray, Michael P.; and Smith, Cyndi M., eds. 2011. The future of high-elevation, five-needle white pines in Western North America: Proceedings of the High Five Symposium. 28-30 June 2010; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-63. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 376 p.

Keane, R. E., S.F. Arno, and C. Stewart. 1996. Restoration of upper subalpine whitebark pine ecosystems in western Montana. Pages 31-26 in Proceedings of the 43 annual Western Internation Forest Disease Work Conference. Society of American Foresters, Bethesda, MD, USA., Whitefish, Montana, USA.

Keane, R.E. and S.F. Arno. 1996. Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) ecosystem restoration in western Montana. In: Arno, S.F. and Hardy, C.C., editors, The use of fire in forest restoration, a general session at the annual meeting of the Society of Ecosystem Restoration "Taking a broader view". Sept 14-16, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report INT-GTR-341. Pages 51-54.

Keane, R.E., S.F. Arno and C. Stewart. 1995. Restoration of upper subalpine whitebark pine ecosystems in western Montana. In: Mathiasen, R.L. editor, Proceedings of the 43 annual Western International Forest Disease Work Conference, Whitefish, Montana, USA. August 29-31, 1995. Pages 105-112.

Keane, R.E. and S.F. Arno. 2000. Restoration of whitebark pine ecosystems in western Montana and central Idaho. In: Proceedings of the Society of American Foresters 1999 National Convention. Portland, OR. Society of American Foresters, Bethesda, Washington DC. Pages 324-330.

Keane, R.E., S.F. Arno, and C. Stewart. 2000. Ecosystem-based management in the whitebark pine zone. In: Smith, H.Y. (ed.) 2000. The Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project -- what we have learned: symposium proceedings; 1999 May 18-20; Missoula, MT. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Proceedings RMRS-P-17 Pages 36-41

Keane, R., and S. F. Arno. 1999. Restoration of whitebark pine ecosystems in western Montana and central Idaho. Pages 324-330 in SAF 1999 National Convention. SAF, Portland, Oregon.

Tomback, D., S. F. Arno, and R. E. Keane. 2001. The compelling case for management intervention. Pages 3-28 in D. Tomback, Stephen F. Arno, and R. E. Keane, editors. Whitebark pine communities: Ecology and Restoration. Island Press, Washington, DC USA.