Whitebark Pine became critically endangered in 2012 due to a combination of invasive species and climate change. The leading threats to the survival of Whitebark Pine include White Pine Blister Rust (pictured), wildfires, and mountain pine beetle. In particular, White Pine Blister Rust is responsible for 50% of the decline of the species in the past century.  In the interior mountain ecosystems, such as this one, the decline of Whitebark Pine is at 1.5% per year, which is over 78% over the next 100 years. Across Canada the decline is 50% over the next century.

Whitebark Pine natural restoration is limited due to almost solely relying on the medium sized grey and black bird with a dagger for a beak, known as the Clarks Nutcracker (Nucifraga Columbiana). The cones of the Whitebark Pine are tough to crack, and do not release their seeds like most other conifer trees. The sharp beak of the Clarks Nutcracker is a useful tool to break open these tough cones in order to get to the nutrient rich seeds. The Clarks nutcracker can hold up to 150 seeds in their sublingual pouch, and typically cache 5-15 seeds at a time into the earth. They can bury tens of thousands of seeds every year and remember where these seed caches are located. However, many of the Whitebark Pine trees that you see along this trail were once seeds cached and never forgotten by the Clarks Nutcracker.