The Sawtooth National Recreation Area is asking for public feedback on a proposed project to restore whitebark pine stands in the Smoky and White Cloud mountains.
Clark's nutcrackers, a bird native to high-elevation locations in the West, would figure into the restoration equation.
Whitebark pine, which grows in subalpine regions and can survive in harsh, high-elevation locations, reduces soil erosion, helps regulate runoff, and provides food for birds and small mammals. The trees are in decline throughout the SNRA due to encroachment from other conifer species, the continued onslaught of the mountain pine beetle, and blister rust disease—a fungus that can kill the trees.
Ed Waldapfel, spokesman for the Sawtooth National Forest, said the problem has evolved from years of fire suppression.
"We've done too good of a job over the last 60 years of fighting wildfires," he said. "Fire does have a role in nature, and we've interfered with that.
"We need to put fire back in the environment."
Fire stimulates the growth of certain trees, including whitebark pine and aspen, while discouraging the growth of other competitive conifer species.
The SNRA has identified eight trouble spots in the Smoky and White Cloud mountains ranging in size from 850 to 5,000 acres. If the project is approved, officials would administer mechanical and fire treatments to create openings up to 20 acres in size within the eight different areas. That's where the Clark's nutcrackers, which feed primarily on whitebark pine seeds, come into play.
Every season the birds store caches of thousands of seeds in clearings and open spaces for later use. According to Robin Garwood, a wildlife biologist with the SNRA, the birds often overlook some of their caches, which is how most whitebark pines eventually germinate and grow.
"It is important to understand that not every acre within a defined project area is intended to be treated," Garwood said. "On average, less than 50 percent of each project area will be treated by prescribed fire or mechanical treatments."
Additional information, including maps showing the project areas, may be obtained by contacting Garwood at the Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters, (208) 727-5000.
Comments should be sent by Feb. 10.
