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Abstract
The High Five symposium is devoted to exchanging information about a small group of pines with little commercial value but great importance to the ecology of high-mountain ecosystems of the West. These High Five pines include the subalpine and treeline species - whitebark (Pinus albicaulis), Rocky Mountain bristlecone (P. aristata), Great Basin bristlecone (P. longaeva), and foxtail (P. balfouriana) - the montane to subalpine pine, southwestern white (P. strobiformis), and the lower treeline to upper treeline pine, limber (P. flexilis). Here, we discuss the taxonomy, distribution, ecology, and Native American use of these pines, as well as current threats and conservation status. Traditional classification places the bristlecones and foxtail pine together in Subsection Balfourianae, limber and southwestern white pine in Subsection Strobi, and whitebark pine in Subsection Cembrae. Whitebark pine has the largest range and most northerly occurrence. The distribution of limber pine is also large, with a wide elevational range.
Parent Publication
Keywords
high elevation five-needle pines,
threats,
whitebark,
Pinus albicaulis,
limber,
Pinus flexilis,
southwestern white,
Pinus strobiformis,
foxtail,
Pinus balfouriana,
Great Basin bristlecone,
Pinus longaeva,
Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine,
Pinus aristata
Citation
Tomback, Diana F.; Achuff, Peter; Schoettle, Anna W.; Schwandt, John W.; Mastrogiuseppe, Ron J. 2011. The magnificent high-elevation five-needle white pines: Ecological roles and future outlook. In: Keane, Robert E.; Tomback, Diana F.; Murray, Michael P.; Smith, Cyndi M., eds. The future of high-elevation, five-needle white pines in Western North America: Proceedings of the High Five Symposium. 28-30 June 2010; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-63. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 2-28.
