Solutions
An Endangered Species listing would trigger a recovery plan for the species that would coordinate research and conservation efforts for the tree. Additionally, it should make more resources available for research on new tools to keep the threats at bay. Researchers are already investigating blister rust resistant trees that could be planted at higher elevations to buy the species time. NRDC is also helping to track the damage and monitor its effects through a citizen science program around Yellowstone.
But most importantly, like so many other species, controlling and reducing global warming pollution is the best hope for whitebark pine’s long-term survival. Comprehensive climate and energy legislation from Congress is the most important step to protect this species.
“Folks in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming can see the impacts of climate change right outside their windows,” said Willcox. “Whitebark pines can live for a thousand years in the roughest parts of the Rockies, but they won’t last long if we don’t do something about climate change quickly. And in my neck of the woods, around Yellowstone, if whitebark pine disappears, they will take a lot of wildlife and wild places with them. It is a truly scary thought.”
Click here to read the full report, “Using the Landscape Assessment System (LAS) to Assess Mountain Pine Beetle-Caused Mortality of Whitebark Pine, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, 2009”.
Click here for OnEarth Magazine VIDEO: Whitebark Pine Endangered by Climate Change
About Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. Founded in 1970, NRDC has 1.3 million members and online activists, served from offices in New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Beijing. For more information, visit www.nrdc.org
Source: NRDC Press Release dated July 22, 2010.
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