2017 Restoration Projects Funded by WPEF

The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation supports whitebark pine restoration across its native range. To respond to that part of our mission, we funded two restoration projects in 2017. These projects were made possible due to your, our member’s, donations and generosity. Thank you very much!

Glacier National Park will plant 1000 whitebark pine seedlings to restore 2 acres under the direction of Dawn LaFleur. These seedlings are rust resistance and will be planted in areas that have been recently burned by wildfire. Half of Glacier National Park’s whitebark pine have died due to blister. The major restoration strategy for keeping whitebark pine on the landscape in Glacier is to plant trees that would not be affected by the exotic disease white pine blister rust.

The Custer-Gallatin National Forest will plant whitebark pine seeds under the leadership of Clay DeMastus. This project involves planting whitebark pine seeds, not seedlings, in remote areas recently burned by wildfire. The seeds were collected from parent trees that are rust resistant. It is much easier to plant seeds in areas that are a long distance from roads than it is to haul in seedlings, planting equipment, and planting crews. Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation board members are excited to see the results of this project. The idea is to plant seeds in a similar manner to Clark’s Nutcracker. This is the first project of it’s kind!