Whitebark Pine
Pinus albicaulis
Habitat: High elevation in dry climate regimes; generally found at or near treeline

White Pine Blister Rust

A Success Story

In the early 1900s, white pine blister rust was accidentally introduced from Europe to the east and west coasts of North America. It was first discovered to be infecting trees in British Columbia in 1910, and ever since it has spread throughout Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The disease also infects other species of pine which have five needles, such as white pine and sugar pine. Many whitebark pines at North Cascades have been found to be infected.

Early methods of control of this fungus focused on the removal of currant bushes, on which the blister rust depends, but the vast expanses of forests throughout the West made full removal impossible. In some areas, such as Glacier National Park in Montana, work is underway to plant thousands of whitebark pine seedlings in hopes of finding ones resistant to blister rust.

At North Cascades, researchers are studying whitebark pines to determine whether disease-resistant species already exist. When the survey is complete they will determine what action, if any, must be taken to protect these high-elevation wonders.

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