Greens move to save tree bears depend on

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A decline in whitebark pine trees would likely result in more grizzly bear conflicts with people and a smaller grizzly population in Greater Yellowstone, according to conservation groups. The statement from the Natural Resources Defense Council comes after the group announced Tuesday it will file a petition to protect the tree species under the Endangered Species Act. The group cited numerous threats to the tree, including global climate change, blister rust and the mountain pine beetle. Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey point to Glacier National Park as an example of an ecosystem where grizzly bears survive without whitebark. But, those same scientists say the disappearance of the tree species would remove a significant source of calories from the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, likely reducing its carrying capacity for the species. Bob Keane, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, said he has mixed feelings about listing the tree. “This tree is going to need active management in order to keep it on the landscape,” he said. “The Endangered Species Act may not allow that kind of management.” Keane advocates harvesting seeds from whitebark pines that have survived blister rust infections, raising the seedlings, and then replanting these rust-resistant trees. Keane pointed to designated wilderness areas as a place where replanting trees using this technique isn’t allowed...