2007 WBP Plus Tree Cone Collection

Project:   Whitebark Pine Plus Tree Cone Collection

Agency/Forest or Park/District:    Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada

Project coordinator:   Julia Richardson

Contact:   Julia Richardson- Humboldt-Toiyabe N.F., 1200 Franklin Way, Sparks Nevada, 89341.    jhrichardson@fs.fed.us

Cooperators:  The work was completed by Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest personnel.

Source of funding /amount

FHP: $11,700, but only $2,660 were used. $9,040 of SPFH funds were turned back in July.  The trees were visited; there was no cone crop, so the Forest returned the funds for use on another project.

Supplemental funding: $732 from NFS

Dates of restoration efforts

Trees were visited in June, as soon as the snow allowed access to the sites.

Objectives

Identify cone crops on previously identified WBP plus trees, cage cones and collect cones, send cones to Coeur d’Alene Nursery.

Acres/ha treated

26 trees

Methods

Assess cone crop on trees on the Jarbidge, Mountain city and Ruby Mountains ranger districts. Cage cones to protect from predation, and collect cones. Cones will be sent to Coeur d’Alene nursery.

Planting? If so, source of seedlings? Resistance?

No

Outcome

A total of 20 trees were visited, new dbh measurements were taken, other information was noted, which will serve to assist personnel in locating the trees in future visits.  Some of the trees had significant diameter growth since the initial identification and it was noted that the tags and paint will need to be maintained in the next year or two. Cones still need to be collected on 26 trees.

Monitoring since completion of the project

            Dates cones were caged and collected in later years

            Plans for future monitoring? To be determined after rust resistance testing

Will outcome meet goals?

Cones and seed have since been collected from the whitebark pine plus trees.  Rust resistant testing is scheduled for 2014.  If there are seedlings that show rust resistance, then strategies for further cone collection or scion collection will be discussed with the Regional Geneticist.

Future actions/follow up? See comment under will outcome meet goals

Miscellaneous comments

The biggest problem was no cone crop in 2007.