Whitebark Pines of the Sierra

[@th3airsofttitan]

I suspect a lot of the dead trees you described are victims of White Pine Blister Rust, an introduced fungus that attacks all species of 5 needled pines. It hammered Pinus strobus pretty hard before it moved out west, and Whitebark Pine is THE most vulnerable species to the fungus that we have in N. America. The best hope we have is to find some resistant specimens and start growing seedlings from them, like we have for Pinus monticola.

[@kap09c]

We just got back from a trip up Longley Reservoir -- it was dotted with serene, miniaturized alpine meadows at the higher elevations (with wildflowers in bloom!). Thanks to your informative videos I was able to identify the conifer in them :). At the top of the trail, we took shade under a particularly thick and gnarled whitebark pine. We would have never guessed that it might have been providing shade to all kinds of critters for 200+ years. I also noticed lots (hundreds) of holes in the ground that appeared to be freshly filled with gravel. I assumed it was some kind of mammal making these holes, but I am now quite sure that these were the work of a Clark's Nutcracker. So cool! Thank you for the work you put into these videos!

[@ApeMan]

Thanks for watching. I have fun making the tree videos. The Sierra trees are fascinating. And yes that does sound like the work of the Clark’s Nutcrackers!

[@joshuajeffery]

These are fantastic videos - not sure anyone else is really making them on KZbin!

[@ApeMan]

Thank you. I love the Sierra and the trees that grow there and thought it might be helpful for people to know what trees they are looking at. I've got a couple more coming out in the next couple weeks so stay tuned.

[@loniousmonk]

>Clark's nutcracker is the primary seed disperser for whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis).[5] Whitebark pine is in decline throughout its range, due to infection by white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), widespread outbreaks of mountain pine beetle, and the long-term effects of fire suppression.[6] The Clark's nutcracker is an integral part of the whitebark pine restoration process: the Clark's nutcracker must remain in Whitebark Pine forests and cache the seeds in excess, so that healthy Whitebark Pine will continue to grow.[6] If whitebark pine declines into extinction, the Clark's nutcracker will lose an important source of food and may no longer be seen in areas where whitebark pine is the primary source of seed, such as Glacier National Park. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark%27s_nutcracker#Whitebark_pine_mutualism

[@loniousmonk]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_albicaulis#Fire_suppression

[@lydiaandnick]

Wow. Such a great, informative video! Thank you!

[@sacramentofoodforest]

You’re the goat man

[@petervhwong]

Hi, Have you come across another pine tree , Pinus Bungeana, also known as White Bark Pines.

[@ApeMan]

Actually Pinus bungeana is known as the Lacebark Pine and is native to China so I have never seen one. They have very interesting bark for a pine which reminds me of Sycamore bark. Here in the US you would only see them in places like an arboretum and they are considered an ornamental tree. I only do reviews of trees that are native to California trees but I'm always interested in learning about new trees. Thanks for sharing!