Whitebark Pine Transect and Grizzly Bear Reconnaissance of the Kettle Creek Area of Bridger-Teton National Forest

Authors(s): M. M. Reid

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Publication Date: 0000-00-00

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Abstract: A permanent transect of Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis) trees was set up in Kettle Creek in the Mt Leidy Highlands of the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) to help determine cone production characteristics in situation 1 grizzly bear habitat. A 10-meter straight line transect of ten Whitebark pine (WBP) trees was walked seven times between July 30, 1988, and August 10, 1988. Trees were marked with aluminum tags and blue tree paint triangles. A starting point for the transect was marked along the trail from Kettle Creek to Sohare Creek by a blue triangle on an open grown WBP tree just below the Kettle/Sohare pass in the South Fork of Kettle Creek (see Figure 1). The starting tree in the transect is 10 degrees NE and 28 paces from the starting point. Tree and stand characteristics were described and three trend transects in stands with different characteristics were walked to use as comparisons to the permanent transect. The transect was set up to contribute to a baseline of data on WBP in occupied grizzly bear habitat within the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Pine nuts are by far the most important fall food item for Yellowstone grizzlies (Knight et al 1984). The Kettle Creek area lies within occupied situation 1 grizzly bear habitat. The transect area is within the impact area of currently proposed oil and gas exploration activiites.

Keywords: animal, mammal, bear, Ursidae, grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis, Bridger-Teton National Forest, food, forage, habitat, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, oil and gas drilling