2007 WBP Permanent Plots 2nd Remeasurement
Project: Whitebark Pine Permanent Plots- 2nd Re measurement (11th year)
Agency/Forest or Park/District: Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Idaho
Project coordinator: Art Zack, John Schwandt
Contact: Art Zack- Forest Ecologist/Silviculturist. Supervisor’s office, Idaho Panhandle NF, 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 208-765-7418 azack@fs.fed.us
Cooperators: John Schwandt-Forest Health Protection-US Forest Service, Northern Region. Forest Service, Northern Region, Forest and Rangeland Management program has already invested about twice the cost of this effort in originally establishing and doing the first re-measurement of the plots.
Source of funding /amount
FHP: $3,600
Supplemental funding: $6,000 Forest Health Protection for salary.
Dates of restoration efforts
The objective of this project is to provide information on the trajectory of whitebark pine natural regeneration, as a tool to guide future WBP restoration efforts.
Objectives
To carry out the 2nd re-measurement (3rd measurement) of the WBP Permanent Plots originally established in 1995 in naturally regenerated young stands in the Selkirk and Purcell Mountains of northern Idaho on the Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry Ranger districts.
Acres/ha treated
21 permanent plot transects in 5 separate stands.
Methods
There are 21 long rectangular permanent transects in 5 separate stands. WBP and competing trees are 100% inventoried on the transects and blister rust status is recorded.
Planting? If so, source of seedlings? Resistance?
No planting involved. The naturally regenerated seedlings & saplings being inventoried resulted from fires and other disturbances, probably in the late 1960’s through the early 1980’s. Resistance is unknown. Part of the objective of this work is to gain some information about the resistance level in these populations.
Outcome
A third re-measurement of these same plots was completed in the summer of 2013 (18 years after initial plot establishment). An analysis of the data from all the re-measurements, particularly in regards to blister rust infection rates and mortality of whitebark pine natural regeneration, is in the final stages of preparation. A report documenting that analysis should be available later in 2014.
Future actions/follow up?
No current plans for additional re-measurement, although the potential exists if funding was available.