Whitebark Pine

Pinus albicaulis (species), “Pitch Pine”, “Creeping Pine”, “Scrub Pine”

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Pinus albicaulis, known by the common names whitebark pine, white bark pine, white pine, pitch pine, scrub pine, and creeping pine, is a conifer tree native to the mountains of the western United States and Canada, specifically subalpine areas of the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, Pacific Coast Ranges, and Rocky Mountains from Wyoming northwards. It shares the common name "creeping pine" with several other plants. The whitebark pine is typically the highest-elevation pine tree found in these mountain ranges and often marks the tree line. Thus, it is often found as krummholz, trees growing close to the ground that have been dwarfed by exposure. In more favorable conditions, the trees may grow to 29 meters (95 ft) in height.

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Whitebark Pine Monitoring in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Changes to whitebark pine forests in the western US over the past several decades have led to a multiagency collaboration to track their health in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (NPS).

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Whitebark pine trees are vital to the health of subalpine environments throughout the western US. Their persistence is threatened, however, by a convergence of stressors, including infection by white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetle attack, and more. This article series describes why and how the Greater Yellowstone Network monitors whitebark pine throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and what they are finding. Data summary articles in this series are updated each year.