Saving whitebark and limber pine

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The trees are in decline and at risk of extinction."> <meta name="dcterms.title" content="Whitebark Pine - Saving whitebark and limber pine"> <meta name="dcterms.creator" content="Parks Canada Agency, Government of Canada"> <meta name="dcterms.issued" title="W3CDTF" content="2024-01-23"> <meta name="dcterms.modified" title="W3CDTF" content="2024-07-26"> <meta name="dcterms.subject" title="scheme" content="Parks Canada"> <meta name="dcterms.language" title="ISO639-2" content="eng"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://parks.canada.ca/nature/science/especes-species/pin-pine"> <meta property="og:title" content="Saving whitebark and limber pine"> <meta property="og:description" content="As hardy as the whitebark pine is, it is declining throughout its range, including within the mountain national parks. Its survival has been threatened by the combined effects of fire suppression, mountain pine beetle outbreaks and a disease known as white pine blister rust."> <meta property="og:image" content="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/WET4/og-default/pc-castor-default-beaver-og-1200x630.png?modified=20230804183626"> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="1909567142706283">   <link href="/Content/GCWeb/assets/favicon.ico" rel="icon" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/Content/GCWeb/css/theme.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/Content/css/ParksCanada/error.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/invitation-manager/Overlay.css" /> <script src="https://kit.fontawesome.com/9090ff3cfc.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>     <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.2.4/jquery.js"></script>  <noscript><link rel="stylesheet" href="/Content/wet-boew/css/noscript.min.css" /></noscript> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/Content/css/ParksCanada/pc.css"> <script src="/Content/js/equalheight.js"></script> <script src="/Content/js/script.js"></script>  <script> (function (w, d, s, l, i) { w[l] = w[l] || []; w[l].push({ 'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(), event: 'gtm.js' }); var f = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j = d.createElement(s), dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? 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This means that the trees play a really important role. They provide food and shelter for wildlife, stabilize slopes and hold onto the snowpack. This makes water available to other plants and helps prevent flooding in the spring. </p> <p>Currently, whitebark and limber pine face many challenges. The trees are in decline and at risk of extinction. The main threats are white pine blister rust (a non-native fungus), fire suppression, mountain pine beetle and climate change. </p></p> </div>  </div> <div class="container">  <p></p> <section class="row"> <h4 class="col-xs-12">Planting the Future: Saving whitebark and limber pine</h4> <div class="col-xs-12 "> <figure class="wb-mltmd" data-wb-mltmd='{"shareUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCwJjDpJLiA"}'> <video poster="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/mtn/eep-sar/placeholder-image_FULL-FILM.jpg?modified=20220527230856" title="Planting the Future: Saving whitebark and limber pine"> <source type="video/youtube" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCwJjDpJLiA"/> <track src="#inline-captions1" kind="captions" data-type="text/html" srclang="en" label="English"/> </video> <figcaption> <details id="inline-captions1"> <summary>Transcript</summary> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit</strong></p> <span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="15.13s" data-dur="03.09s">>> BRENDA: There have been a couple of whitebark</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="18.22s" data-dur="07.06s">pine in the Canadian Rockies that have been aged around 1000 years old.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Sun shining through a Limber Pine tree.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="25.28s" data-dur="03.99s">I mean these trees have seen such incredible</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="29.29s" data-dur="31.84s">change in the world since they were seedlings like the ones we’re planting.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Planting the Future</strong></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Woman leading a pack horse up a mountain</strong></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Whitebark and limber pine are at risk of extinction.</strong></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Seven national parks have joined forces to recover, monitor and protect these special trees.</strong></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Looking out a helicopter at Mountains and valley cloud</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="61.13s" data-dur="02.34s">All of the Mountain Parks, so that’s Waterton,</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="63.48s" data-dur="03.13s">Revelstoke-Glacier, Kootenay, Yoho, Banff and Jasper.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Parks Staff hiking and climbing a Whitebark Pine tree.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="66.61s" data-dur="04.88s">We all work together, we’re relying on each other trying to recover whitebark pine and</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="71.49s" data-dur="04.47s">limber pine together.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Brenda Shepherd, Biologist, Jasper National Park</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="75.96s" data-dur="02.88s">Whitebark pine is a pioneering species and</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="78.84s" data-dur="05.34s">so it moves in and it creates, often, these little tree islands and other species are</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="84.18s" data-dur="03.46s">able to move in after it.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Allison Fisher, Biologist, Yoho National Park</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="87.64s" data-dur="04.46s">>> ALLISON: My favourite thing about whitebark</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="92.10s" data-dur="08.34s">pine, the fact that nutcrackers are almost exclusively responsible for allowing them</span> <span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="100.44s" data-dur="01.00s">to regenerate.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Hilary Cameron, Biologist, Banff National Park</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="101.44s" data-dur="02.99s">>> HILARY: I love that they just grow in these</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="104.44s" data-dur="07.85s">really rough exposed areas and that they are so resilient and they just live for hundreds</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="112.29s" data-dur="01.00s">of years.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Genoa Alger, Biologist, Waterton Lakes National Park </strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="113.29s" data-dur="01.05s">>> GENOA: Once we found a limber pine that</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="114.34s" data-dur="04.23s">was just growing straight into a cliff, like it’s surviving and thriving.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Rebecca Smith, Biologist, Banff National Park</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="118.57s" data-dur="02.88s">>> REBECCA: These trees have an absolutely</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="121.45s" data-dur="05.65s">crucial role in both the plant communities and the animal communities, the soil communities,</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="127.10s" data-dur="02.85s">probably more communities than we understand right now.[Laugh]</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="130.95s" data-dur="05.12s">>> BRENDA: The Clark’s nutcracker and the whitebark pine have a really important relationship.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="136.07s" data-dur="05.13s">It’s called a mutualism, really rare in nature, where both species depend on each</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="141.20s" data-dur="02.74s">other for their survival.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Clark's Nutcracker picks seeds out of Whitebark Pine cones.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="143.94s" data-dur="02.56s">The cones will not open on their own.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="146.50s" data-dur="05.47s">The nutcracker has a specialized beak to be able to open the cones and then it will fly</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="151.97s" data-dur="04.86s">off to different parts of the forest where it will deposit seeds and then months later</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Allison points to seedling from a Clark's Nutcrack cache.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="156.83s" data-dur="06.15s">they will fly back, find that exact spot and dig out the seeds and eat them. </span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="162.98s" data-dur="08.87s">And it’s only seeds that they don’t eat that become whitebark pine seedlings.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Rebecca walks through a stand of White bark Pines.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="171.85s" data-dur="02.23s">They evolved together, these two species,</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="174.08s" data-dur="06.27s">over tens of thousands of years.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Whitebark and limber pine face many threats.</strong></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>The deadliest threat is an invasive fungus called white pine blister rust.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="180.35s" data-dur="17.10s">>> ALLISON: So you can see that kind of spindle</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Allison shows a diseased branch of a Whitebark tree.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="197.45s" data-dur="05.59s">shape, there’s a lot of swelling, coarse bark, and you can see some of the inactive</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="203.04s" data-dur="09.16s">rust oozing out, and then this section of the branch is all dead.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="213.20s" data-dur="03.05s">>> BRENDA: These trees did not evolve with white pine blister rust and that’s what’s</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="216.25s" data-dur="04.90s">really important about why this causes the tree to become endangered.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="221.15s" data-dur="04.90s">This disease came in in the early 1900’s and the tree just doesn’t have the traits</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="226.05s" data-dur="04.17s">to be able to fight it off.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="230.22s" data-dur="08.18s">So we worry about these big ghost forests.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="238.40s" data-dur="04.69s">If there are ghost forests, will there not be enough whitebark pine to attract nutcrackers</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="243.09s" data-dur="11.91s">and if there are no nutcrackers, there’s no future.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="255.00s" data-dur="03.71s">We climb the tree in the early summer.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="258.71s" data-dur="06.16s">We put cages on the cones, the cones mature, but they don’t get eaten by birds or squirrels. </span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="264.87s" data-dur="07.64s">We climb back up late September, pick the cones and then the cones dry and then we extract</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="272.51s" data-dur="02.12s">the seeds from the cones.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="274.63s" data-dur="07.09s">We send those seeds to a nursery and then the nursery spends two years growing these guys.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="285.65s" data-dur="03.06s">We want to plant enough trees at a high enough</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Parks Canada Staff planting trees.</strong></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="288.71s" data-dur="05.55s">density that in eighty years we will have a forest of cone producing trees that will</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="294.26s" data-dur="07.34s">attract Clark’s nutcrackers back and these birds will continue to allow these stands</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="301.60s" data-dur="05.74s">to persist and so that’s how we will create these self-sustaining recovered whitebark</span> <span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="307.34s" data-dur="01.29s">pine stands.</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="308.63s" data-dur="06.94s">So there’s a lot of hope involved in keeping</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="315.57s" data-dur="05.55s">a really positive attitude about what we’re doing, the fact that none of us here will</span></p> <p><span class="wb-tmtxt" data-begin="321.12s" data-dur="01.79s">be alive to know whether this was successful.</span></p> <p class="wet-boew-vd"><strong>Since 2014, Parks Canada has planted over 60,000 whitebark and limber pine seedlings in the mountain national parks. This work will continue for years to come.</strong></p> </details> </figcaption> </figure> <div class="g-ytsubscribe" data-channel="ParksCanadaAgency" data-layout="full" data-count="hidden"></div> </div> </section>   <p></p>   <p></p>   <p></p>   <p></p>   <p></p> <script src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> </div> <div class="container"> </div> <div class="container">  <div id="wb-cont-5"> <p><hr> <table class="table table-condensed"> <caption class="wb-inv">  </caption> <thead> <tr> <th scope="col" style="width:50%;"> <h4>Whitebark pine</h4> </th> <th scope="col" style="width:50%;"> <h4>Limber pine</h4> </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><strong>Needles</strong> in bundles of five</td> <td><strong>Needles</strong> in bundles of five</td> </tr> <tr> <td><span><strong>Grows </strong>at or near treeline</span></td> <td><span><strong>Grows </strong>at slightly lower elevations</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td><span><strong>Cones </strong>are dark purple, 5-8 cm long</span></td> <td><span><strong>Cones </strong>are light brown, 7-15 cm long</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td><span><strong>Life span</strong> up to 1000 years</span></td> <td><span><strong>Life span</strong> up to 1000 years</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td><span><strong><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry.html" target="_blank">SARA </a>status</strong>: Endangered</span></td> <td><span><strong>SARA status</strong>: Recommended for listing as endangered by <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.cosewic.ca/index.php/en-ca/about-us.html" target="_blank">COSEWIC</a></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img alt="Whitebark pine cone" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/limber-pine-cones_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></td> <td><img alt="Limber pine cone" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/whitebark-pine-cones_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h4>A superfood</h4> <p>Whitebark and limber pine cones are an excellent food source. Hidden inside are nutritious seeds packed full of protein and fat. Many animals, like bears, squirrels and birds, rely on these seeds.</p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/pine-seeds_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure> </div> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"><img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/seeds-in-cone_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure> <p class="image"> </p> </div> </div> <section class="panel panel-default"> <header class="panel-heading"> <h3 class="panel-title">An important partnership</h3> </header> <div class="panel-body"> <div class="col-md-4 pull-right"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/clarks-nutcracker-eating-pinecone_350x233.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure></div> <p>Clark’s nutcrackers play a key role in seed dispersal.</p> <p>Whitebark pine cones do not open on their own. Instead, Clark’s nutcrackers use their long, pointy beaks to break apart cones and remove seeds. The birds eat some seeds and store leftovers in the ground for later. Forgotten seeds will grow into new trees.</p> <p>Limber pine cones open on their own, but the wingless seeds still need help to move. Animals like Clark’s nutcrackers carry seeds to other locations where they grow into new trees.</p> <p style="text-align:center;"><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://youtu.be/oX-skHEpNjg" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/nutcracker-video-cover_870x470.jpg" class="img-responsive"></a></p> </div> </section> <h2>Why are these trees in danger?</h2> <section class="panel panel-default"> <header class="panel-heading"> <h3 class="panel-title">The deadliest threat: White pine blister rust</h3> </header> <div class="panel-body"> <div class="col-md-4 pull-right"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/blister-rust-whitebark_350x233.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure></div> <p>This fungal disease was introduced from Europe in the early 1900s. It has killed many whitebark and limber pine trees across North America. The fungus enters through the needles and then spreads, attacking tissue and disrupting the flow of nutrients. One sign of infection is orange "blisters" on the bark. Because the fungus was introduced from Europe, the trees here did not evolve with it. Less than 1% of whitebark and limber pine are naturally resistant to the rust. </p> </div> </section> <ul> <li><strong>Fire suppression</strong>- Historically, forests burned more often but most fires were small and low-intensity. They created open, sunny spaces and good growing conditions for whitebark and limber pine. Past practices of extinguishing wildfires changed this. Many forests are now dense and shady. They provide poor habitat for whitebark and limber pine and fuel large, high-intensity fires. </li> <li><strong>Mountain pine beetle</strong>- These beetles are a normal part of healthy forests in western Canada. A warming climate and fire suppression changed this. Beetle infestations now get bigger and spread to higher elevations. As a result, whitebark and limber pine trees are attacked more frequently than in the past. </li> <li><strong>Climate change</strong>- Climate change affects mountain ecosystems in many different ways. For example, natural disturbances like fire, mountain pine beetle and drought are becoming more extreme. Also, tree species typically found at lower elevations are moving higher, competing for resources with whitebark and limber pine.</li> </ul> <p><img alt="" class="full-width" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/dead-five-needle-pine_870x344.jpg"></p> <h2>What is Parks Canada doing to help?</h2> <p>Seven national parks are working together to save whitebark and limber pine: <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/jasper/nature/conservation/eep-sar/pinecorceblanche-whitebarkpine">Jasper</a>, <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/nature/conservation/Especes-species/pinus-albicaulis/pinblanche-whitepine">Banff</a>, <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/yoho/nature/conservation/especes-species/pin-ecorce-blanche-whitebark-pine">Yoho</a>, <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/kootenay/nature/conservation/especes-species/pin-flexible-limber-pine">Kootenay</a>, <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/waterton/nature/conservation/eep-sar">Waterton Lakes</a>, <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/revelstoke/nature/faune-flore-fauna-flora/ecorce-blanche-whitebark-pine1">Mount Revelstoke</a> and <a href="https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/glacier/nature/faune-flore-fauna-flora/pin_a_ecorce_blanche-whitebark_pine">Glacier</a>. Because the trees face multiple threats, we do a lot of different things to help.</p> <p><strong>Cone collection and planting</strong></p> <p>First, Parks Canada staff identify trees that show natural resistance to white pine blister rust. Then we climb the trees and put protective cages over some of the cones. When the cones are mature, we collect them and remove the seeds. Some seeds are sent to tree nurseries while others are saved in a seed bank. At the nurseries, it’s a waiting game. After two years of growing, many of the tiny seedlings are planted back in the national parks. The rest are sent for testing to see how resistant they are to blister rust.</p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/cone-caging-whitebark_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure> </div> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"><img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/seedling-planting_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure> </div> </div> <br> <p><strong>Blister rust monitoring</strong> </p> <p>Parks Canada has more than 300 long-term whitebark and limber pine health monitoring transects. They are located throughout the Canadian Rocky and Columbia mountains. We survey the transects every five years to see how blister rust infections are changing. Additionally, each park monitors their own “plus” trees (trees that show natural resistance to white pine blister rust), to see if they are staying healthy.</p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/blister-rust_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure> </div> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"><a href="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/whitebark-trees-on-ridge_510x275.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/whitebark-trees-on-ridge_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></a></figure> </div> </div> <br> <p><strong>Fire management</strong> </p> <p>Fire is an important part of mountain ecosystems. It has many benefits for whitebark and limber pine, like removing other trees that compete for resources and creating openings that attract Clark’s nutcrackers. Parks Canada uses prescribed fires and wildfire management to return fire to the landscape. We also use mechanical thinning to open up space in areas where burning isn’t safe. Overall, this work creates good habitat and growing conditions for whitebark and limber pine.</p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/seedling-planting-kootenay_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"> </figure></div> <div class="col-sm-8 col-md-6"> <figure class="image"><img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/pileburning-paget_510x275.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure> </div> </div> <br> <div class="col-md-4 pull-right"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/pheromone-patches_350x233.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure></div> <p><strong>Pheromone protection</strong> </p> <p>Pheromones are chemicals that animals use to communicate. Parks Canada uses a natural chemical called verbenone to communicate with mountain pine beetles. We attach small packets of verbenone to high-value whitebark and limber pines trees. This protects the trees by telling beetles, “move along, this tree is already occupied!”</p> <br> <div class="well"> <p> <strong>What we have achieved in the seven mountain national parks:</strong><br> <em>Updated January 23, 2024</em></p> <ul> <li># of whitebark pine seedlings planted: 99,798 </li> <li># of limber pine seedlings planted: 19,765 </li> <li># of whitebark pine trees identified with possible rust-resistance: 850 </li> <li># of limber pine trees identified with possible rust-resistance: 179 </li> <li>Habitat restored (with prescribed fire, mechanical thinning and planting): ~1433 hectares </li> </ul> </div> <h2>How you can help </h2> <div class="col-md-4 pull-right"> <figure class="image"> <img alt="" src="https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/pn-np/bc/yoho/WET4/nature/conservation/protecting-species/Whitebark-pine/hiker-pine-photo350x233.jpg" class="img-responsive"></figure></div> <p>Researchers use citizen science data from iNaturalist to understand where whitebark and limber pine grow, and which trees are infected by white pine blister rust. You can help too! Download the iNaturalist app and create an account. Learn to identify whitebark and limber pine and the signs of blister rust. Then, record your observations on your next hike in the mountains. </p> <p>But always remember to be careful: Don’t injure or remove any parts of the tree!</p> <br> <section class="panel panel-default"> <header class="panel-heading"> <h3 class="panel-title">Learn more</h3> </header> <div class="panel-body"> <ul> <li><a href="https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/1086-748">Species at risk public registry - species profile: Whitebark pine</a> </li> <li><a href="https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/1275-933">Species at risk public registry - species profile: Limber pine</a> </li> <li><a href="https://whitebarkpine.ca/">Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada</a> </li>  </ul> </div> </section> <div class="well well-sm"> <h5 class="mrgn-tp-0" id="mural">Mural Statement</h5> <p>In her mural ᐋᐧᐦᑰᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (Wâhkôhtowin), Kamamak reflects on the whitebark pine species and its ability to provide for so many other forms of life in its ecosystem. In naming her mural Wâhkôhtowin, she further pushes a message of the interconnectedness between us and all our relations. Wahkotowin is the Cree law of taking care of one another through relationship and kinship, seen here through the whitebark pine.</p> </div></p> </div>  </div> <div class="container">  <section class="provisional most-requested-bullets well mrgn-tp-xl"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="pddng-r-0"> <h2 class="mrgn-tp-md h3">Related links</h2> </div> <div class="col-md-9">  <ul class="wb-eqht mrgn-tp-md mrgn-bttm-md colcount-md-1 wb-init wb-eqht-inited"> <li style="vertical-align: top; min-height: 27px;"><a class="pc-relatedlink" href="https://parks.canada.ca/nature/science/especes-species/aquatique-envahissante-aquatic-invasive" >Invasive species: aquatic ecosystems under stress at Parks...</a></li> <li style="vertical-align: top; min-height: 27px;"><a class="pc-relatedlink" href="https://parks.canada.ca/nature/science/especes-species/especes-envahissantes-invasive-species" >Care for the land: Parks Canada works to control invasive...</a></li> <li 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