And, last week, the Fish and Wildlife Service stated that the whitebark pine “warranted" listing as threatened or endangered, making it one of the very few species officially acknowledged as threatened by climate change.
Canada's grim conclusion is that “none of the causes of decline can be reversed." These include an invasive, foreign fungus and the suppression of forest fires, which are important in establishing pure stands of whitebark pine. But the most important threat is the spread of the native mountain pine beetle, which tunnels into the tree and lays its eggs under the bark. Historically, the pine's defense against the beetle is living where conditions are too cold for it — at high altitude or at high latitudes. But as the climate warms, that defense has failed catastrophically. Read the full report here.
Source: New York Times.
