WHITEBARK PINE | Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee

Whitebark Pine Subcommittee

The GYCC Whitebark Pine Subcommittee was established in 2000.

Subcommittee Mission: Our mission is to sustain a collaboration of land managers, scientists, and other whitebark pine experts that leads to the long-term viability and function of whitebark pine ecosystems in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Subcommittee Leadership:

Chair: Laura Jones, Branch Chief, Vegetation Ecology and Management, Grand Teton National Park, laura_jones@nps.gov

Vice-Chair: Erin Hooten, Forest Silviculturist, Bridger-Teton National Forest, erin.hooten@usda.gov

MOST RECENT MEETING (virtual): 4/10/24, 12:30-2:00

Background:

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is a keystone species of high elevation ecosystems in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). They are currently at significant risk from the combined effects of insects, the introduced disease white pine blister rust, climate change and successional replacement throughout its range. The US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in January 2023.
In the face of an acute threat to a critical long-lived species, the GYCC Whitebark Pine Subcommitee is actively implementing the Whitebark Pine Strategy for the Greater Yellowstone Area (2011) with its associated Adaptive Action Plan – Whitebark Pine in the Greater Yellowstone Area (2015). Ongoing actions include extensive protection and restoration efforts, such as cone collection and planting across the GYA, and the establishment of a GYGT seed orchard and clone bank on the Custer Gallatin National Forest.
The GYCC Whitebark Pine Subcommittee includes a minimum of one representative from each GYCC agency and collaborates extensively with the research community and partners such as the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation and other non-government/non-profit organizations. The Forest Service, Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service renewed their commitment for another five years in a 2024 Interagency Agreement.