Whitebark pine daylighting

For those who’ve been following our efforts to help conserve the Whitebark Pine stands at Brundage Mountain, we wanted to share an important update and a compelling video about the past and future of these iconic trees.

On December 14, 2022, the Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) was officially listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Learn more.

Several years prior to that listing, Brundage Mountain Resort began working with the Payette National Forest and other conservation partners to help conserve and preserve the species. White pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) is the primary threat to the species, and the summit ridge of Brundage Mountain is home to one of the most blister rust-resistant populations of Whitebark Pine. 

Whitebark pine seedlings

This past summer, Brundage Mountain hosted a work week focused on protecting the existing living stands of whitebark pine on the mountain. Conservation activities included pruning white pine blister rust infected branches and thinning and removing competing vegetation around whitebark pine trees to leave more nutrients available for the whitebark pine and also make the stands more resistant to natural wildfires. Learn more

This past fall, work crews planted 600 whitebark pine seedlings in microsites across the upper ridges and slopes. Learn more

The video below provides great information on past, current and future efforts to preserve these special trees and details their crucial role in the mountain environment. The footage is stunning and we found the 14 minutes it takes to learn more to be time well spent!