A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals a groundbreaking discovery on the Beartooth Plateau in northwest Wyoming. In December 2024, researchers found over 30 dead whitebark pine trees entombed in ice for thousands of years.
The finding provides valuable insights into past climate change and ecosystem dynamics in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The trees were discovered with “extraordinary quality of wood preservation” after recent warming caused snow and ice cover to decrease, making them visible again after up to 5,900 years.
The study shows that during the Mid-Holocene period, the treeline expanded by roughly 590 feet above its current elevation. However, this expansion was followed by periods of cooling due to volcanic activity, which led to a decrease in summer insolation and reduced tree growth. Today, the current rate of warming is causing ice patches and glaciers across the GYE to shrink.
The authors of the paper warn that if continued warming occurs, most remaining ice-patch trees will disappear, taking with them valuable “paleoarchives.” However, treeline elevation may rise again in high elevations due to warming. The study also highlights the challenges facing whitebark pines, including wildfires, pine beetles, and blister rust, but notes that volcanic eruptions are unlikely to impact them again anytime soon.
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Source: https://buckrail.com/more-than-30-whitebark-pines-up-to-5900-years-old-discovered-in-wyo