Issues are blister rust, fire, and forest health. Study the ecology, genetic structure and adaptive variation of five-needle pines. To help managers develop potential management options to mitigate the impacts of the exotic blister rust on bristlecone, limber and whitebark pine ecosystems. To help managers develop potential management options for reforestation after fires in the central Rockies. Anna Schoettle White pine regeneration after fire RMRS Fire Research National Fire Plan

Proactive development of management and restoration options for bristlecone pine forests in the presence of an exotic pathogen.

The infection front of the exotic pathogen white pine blister rust in Colorado is less than 60 miles from bristlecone forests; bristlecone pine will be impacted in the near future. Rust infection will reduce seed production and cause mortality of many of the ancient bristlecone pine. Efforts to develop management options for this high visibility species are underway in attempt to sustain bristlecone forests in the presence of the pathogen for the enjoyment by the public, use by wildlife and for watershed protection. Many forest visitors enjoy bristlecone pines’ extreme longevity and majestic form each year (one stand of bristlecone on Mt Evans in Central Colorado receives an average of more than 150,000 visitors each summer). We have shown that bristlecone pine regenerates well after fire and can effectively reforest large burned area, yet burns also promote increased density of current or gooseberry (Ribes ssp.) bushes, the alternate hosts for the exotic blister rust. Some Ribes ssp. are better hosts for the rust than others. While fire may be used as a management tool to promote pine regeneration it may also increase the risk of the rust on the landscape. As a result, the use of fire as a management option must be evaluated in light of the Ribes species that may proliferate in the treatment area. This information has potential application for the management of bristlecone pine forests in Colorado (5 NFs), New Mexico (1 NF) and Arizona (1 NF), as well as management of other high elevation 5-needle pine forests in the western US.

National Fire Plan Project ID: 01.RMRS.B.6 - Patterns of White Pine Regeneration after Fire and its Implications for Forest Establishment in the Presence of White Pine Blister Rust.