Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Yale Climate Connections In the Western U.S., small mesh cages adorn the towering whitebark pines that dot high-elevation landscapes. The cages have been placed around the trees’ pine cones to protect their increasingly precious contents: seeds. The survival of the slow-growing whitebark pine is threatened by an array of pressures: an invasive fungus called blister rust, a hungry beetle, and wildfires that have grown increasingly intense on a landscape parched by human-caused climate change. Blister rust arrived in the United States from Asia around the year 1900. Since then, it has swept through 38 states. In pines, it first causes yellow or red spotting on the needles, followed by cankers, branch swelling, and death. Some foresters believe seeds taken from mature pines that haven’t yet succumbed to the blister rust fungus are the trees’ best chance for survival. The idea is that the DNA of saplings grown from those seeds will contain the same code for resistance to blister rust as the parent tree. But more than 100 animals eat whitebark pine seeds, putting that genetic treasure in jeopardy. So each spring, foresters place cages on the cones of mature trees to prevent nibbling. They return in the fall to collect the cones, harvest the seeds, and start growing the next generation of saplings. The tree has deep cultural significance to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Tribal member Mike Durglo says the project of protecting the species will span generations. “We’re not going to see the fruits of our labor in our lifetime, but our children, our grandchildren, and the next generations will, and that’s why we do what we do,” he says. “It’s having that hope that we’re going to make a difference.” Yale Climate Connections talked with Durglo, who is also the tribe’s climate... |