Dr. Diana Tomback
Ph.D. Professor, Biology Research Faculty CU Denver
Date: January 30, 2026
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: Denver Campus – North Classroom 1003
Restoring Whitebark Pine: Plans, Strategies, Toolkits, and Technology
Whitebark pine was federally listed as threatened in the U.S. in January 2023. In accordance with the Endangered Species Act, the restoration and conservation of whitebark pine communities on public lands will be guided by the Whitebark Pine Recovery Plan. Recognizing the decline in whitebark pine communities and their importance to public lands, agencies began laying the groundwork for restoration by devising plans and initiating restoration actions during the 1990’s and 2000’s. Recently, Tomback et al. (2022) wrote: “…the overarching goal of whitebark pine conservation and restoration is to develop and sustain healthy and resilient whitebark pine communities in the face of current and future challenges.” This presentation reviews the primary threats to whitebark pine, history of restoration, restoration plans and straegies, restoration actions including a discussion of direct seeding, climate change implications (RAD framework), importance of monitoring, and the potential of biotechnology and climate modelling at multiple scales to expedite some applications. Approaches to whitebark pine restoration should be reevaluated as new information and tools become available.