Assisted Migration and Latitudinal Limitations of Whitebark Pine

Abstract

Whitebark pine, a high alpine tree species, is limited up to 55N despite uncolonized suitable habitat that exists in Northern British Columbia. It is unclear what limits its northward distribution. Whitebark pine is dependent upon a bird species, Clark’s nutcracker, for its seed dispersal, therefore, the bird’s limitations must be examined. As optimal seed caching sites are located in recently burned sites, this paper hypothesizes that the fire regime in northern forests is not conducive for the creation of these sites. Assisted migration projects must focus more attention to long-term regeneration by addressing the needs of Clark’s nutcracker.