The White Bark Experience - Twyla Morris NRCM

Our crew has had a truly gratifying experience working with the Forest Service to help save the White Bark Pine population in Montana. Three of our hitches have involved this endangered tree. The White Bark Pine is a food source for many animal species in Montana including grizzly bears but unfortunately is heavily affected from blister rust so there has been talk about putting this tree on the endangered species list, which would make it the first tree on the list. Therefore, Montana’s Forest Service is trying cutting edge projects to keep these trees around, and who better to do the job than the Conservation Corps.

Luckily, our crew was the only one working white bark specific projects so we were able to see just how special and in need these trees are. Our first hitch working with them was with the Flathead National Forst by the Blacktail Ski area. We planted 117 white barks in that area over four days.

Our second and third hitch, we worked with the Hungry Horse Ranger District daylighting these trees at Hornet Lookout and Morrison Creek. At Hornet Lookout we had a 17 acre area to cover in 9 days. Our job was to lop a 15 ft radius around any white barks planted there. We knew then these trees were significant when our sponsor Karl told us the forest service had spent much money saving this part of the forest from a fire that happened in 2003. So, we lopped away, counted around 300 white barks, and covered the 17 acres in less than 9 days. Now able to move on to our third white bark adventure early, still under the sponsorship of Karl with the HHRD, we went to Morrison Creek.

There were some definite differences between these locations. At Hornet Lookout, the trees we lopped were very small and the white barks had been planted there. This was not the story for Morrison Creek. There, the white barks had grown naturally from the cone seeds being spread by a bird called the Clark's Nutcracker and were about 30 years old. The surrounding trees were much bigger, therefore it meant our tools needed to be bigger also. Much more chainsawing and cross cutting.

It feels great knowing that we may have made a difference in the white bark population in Northwest Montana and now, with all the experience, we can spot a white bark a mile away!