Diane Tomback

A new study, led by federal agencies in collaboration with the University of Colorado Denver, shows that the whitebark pine tree—an iconic, high-elevation tree that stretches from California’s Sierra Nevada through the Cascades and Rockies and into Canada—could lose as much as 80% of its habitat to climate change in the next 25 years.  The loss could have a cascade of effects, impacting wildlife and people. …“Whitebark pine supports biodiversity, and it helps people too,” said Diana Tomback, professor at UC Denver. “The canopies act as a snow fence and slow snowmelt, enabling summer water flow, which farmers and ranchers depend on.” The potential loss of whitebark pine habitat with climate warming is the focus of a study Tomback co-authored and which appeared earlier this month in the journal Environmental Research Letters.  …CU Denver is also helping pioneer a minimally intrusive and cost-effective way to help restore trees.