Best friends forever: The whitebark pine and Clark's nutcracker

Robert E. Keane; Samuel A. Cushman

Treesearch

Best friends forever: The whitebark pine and Clark's nutcracker

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Robert E. Keane, Samuel A. Cushman

Year:

2018

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

The Wildlife Professional. September/October: 48-52.

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Download (PDF 486 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/57198.pdf

Abstract

It’s late fall in the high mountains of western North America and the whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) forests are alive with activity. Birds and mammals are feasting on the pine’s copious amounts of large seeds. When the cones ripen, the competition for the fatty, nutritious seeds - which contain “more energy than chocolate per unit of weight” according to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology - is a sight to see.

Keywords

whitebark pine, Pinus albicaulis, Clark’s nutcracker, Nucifraga columbiana

Citation

Keane, Robert E.; Cushman, Samuel A. 2018. Best friends forever: The whitebark pine and Clark's nutcracker. The Wildlife Professional. September/October: 48-52.