White pine plantations in moist forests: Do they make sense with increased wildfire potential?

Abstract

The changing climate is forcing foresters to rethink how and where they replant after a wildfire. Fire suppression and the loss of western white pine (WPP) to disease have made northern Rocky Mountain moist mixed-conifer forests less resilient to disturbance. Western white pine historically influenced the fire regime, creating a more herbaceous understory, which increased humidity and decreased the severity of fire burning through these stands of western white pine. The introduction of the invasive disease white pine blister rust killed countless western white pines from the 1940s through the 1970s. Vast areas of western white pine were salvage logged beginning in 1960s. Resistant trees were identified and crossed to develop a genetically resistant tree, and western white pine plantations dominated by blister rust-resistant seedlings became common. Most blister rust-resistant western white pine plantations have not experienced wildfire since establishment.

Citation

Jain, Terrie. 2022. White pine plantations in moist forests: Do they make sense with increased wildfire potential? Science You Can Use (in 5 Minutes), July 2022. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 2 p.