Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation (WPEF)

We are a science-based non-profit dedicated to counteracting the decline of whitebark pine and enhancing knowledge about the value of its ecosystems.

Contact

406-925-9545
[email protected]

Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation
PO Box 17943
Missoula, Montana 59808

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Partners & Projects

Current Projects

The National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan

In summer 2016, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation (WPEF), in partnership with American Forests, approached the U.S. Forest Service with a bold idea:  We proposed developing a collaborative inter-agency strategic rangewide restoration plan for whitebark pine.  Although Keane et al. (2012) had previously published a general rangewide restoration plan which emphasized methods, we would take the concept to the next logical level—the development of a geographic plan that focused on prioritized areas (“core areas”) for restoration.

American Forests logo

 

 

 

Restoring Whitebark Pine: One Project at a Time

A partnership between the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation (WPEF) and US Forest Service Forest Health Protection (FHP) to provide information on completed or on-going projects leading to the restoration of whitebark pine ecosystems.

 

 

 

 

Agency & Institutional Partnerships

  • Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee – Whitebark Pine Working Group: The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation is a partnering organization with this inter-agency organization, which oversees monitoring activities for resource management in the Greater Yellowstone Area. Different board members meet yearly with the working group and provide technical support and information.
  • Crown Managers Partnership — Five Needle Pine Working Group:  The Crown of the Continent High Five Working Group was formed in 2016 with a mission to protect and restore functional whitebark and limber pine ecosystems by fostering transboundary collaboration and coordination to transfer sound scientific knowledge, leverage funding opportunities, and optimize restoration and conservation efforts within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.
  • Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the trail system and wilderness values in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. They accomplish their mission through cooperation with the US Forest Service, partner groups, individual volunteers and generous donors.

Completed Projects

  • Whitebark Pine Blister Rust Survey, Inventory and Monitoring, National Park Service, Ft.Collins, CO. This database (Microsoft access database) was developed with the WPEF to interface with the WPEF’s Methods for Surveying and Monitoring Whitebark Pine for Blister Rust Infection and Damage
  • Whitebark Pine: a Pacific Coast Perspective.  Symposium organized by the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, Region 6, held August 27-31, 2006 at Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR. Sponsors include the WPEF, Crater Lake Institute, and Crater Lake Natural History Association.
  • Whitebark Pine-Limber Pine Information System (WLIS). USDA Forest Service, Northern Region Forest Health Protection, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. WLIS (1.0) – Whitebark and Limber Pine Information System.  WLIS is a database of summary data of plots established for whitebark and limber pines in the United States and Canada. Data has been assembled from researchers, surveyors, and literature sources and compiled in a standard format. In addition, data from FIA plots with whitebark or limber pine are included. Data can be viewed for any of the plots in the system. The data can also be queried to refine the dataset to meet the user’s needs. Plot locations can be spatially depicted through an interactive mapping system. The interactive database provides a user-friendly interface for the addition of new plots or updating data for plots already in the system. A User’s Guide is included as part of the download and should be referenced for details on using the system.
  • Connecting ecological processes to whitebark pine restoration, Lori Daniels and Carmen Wong, University of British Columbia. 2006 Research grant awarded from Yellowstone to Yukon Science Grants Program to the WPEF as the NGO research partner.
  • Collaboration with U.S. Forest Service, Region 1 on whitebark pine restoration plan. Board members Bob Keane, Carl Fiedler, Ward McCaughey, and Diana Tomback participated in the development of a region-wide whitebark pine restoration plan with staff from the regional office based in Missoula, Montana.

Corporate Partners

The Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation partners with corporations and organizations to offset the cost of doing business by planting trees and providing educational resources to the public. If you are interested in becoming a corporate partner, please contact us today!

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