The need as indicated by stakeholders:

Eastern white pine is an iconic species for northeastern North America:  Iconic species resonate with the public and can be used to engender broader public support for desired outcomes (Davies and Tippler 2024). Iconic species differ from indicator or keystone species because of the public connection; iconic species are not only biologically and ecologically important but also are part of a community’s culture.

Eastern white pine’s cultural connection to Indigenous Nations’ traditions (Mausel, Waupochick, and Pecore 2017) and the European settler’s development (D. R. Foster, Motzkin, and Slater 1998) is probably a partial result of its abundance due to regeneration across multiple environments, ability to grow larger and taller than any other species in the east, and wood that was suitable for lumber (Lancaster and Leak 1978; Wendel and Smith 1990). 

White pine has enormous economic value throughout its range.  Over the region, the net volume of white pine saw logs is over 186 billion board feet (USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis).  With a typical market price of $100/1,000 bd ft, the potential value of standing white pine is $18.6 billion. 

From an ecological perspective, white pine has significant impact on the eastern forest (Wendel and Smith 1990).  White pine attains the largest dimensions of any eastern tree serving as a critical habitat for many species of wildlife that depend on emergent crowns and large snags and downed woody debris.  In many parts of the range, EWP was the primary species that recolonized abandoned fields as farmers moved to more productive lands.  This resulted in “old field pine”, stands dominated by EWP (Marshall 2009). 

Silviculture and management of EWP has recommended developing stands that are dominated by EWP on sites where hardwoods are not aggressive (Lancaster and Leak 1978).  However, after analyzing USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots in Maine (unpublished data), only about 5% of the plots were dominated by EWP (> 75% of the stems) (Maeve).   Analysis of FIA data in Maine indicates that 15% of EWP commercial volume is in the spruce/fir (SF) type and another 31% is in the commercial hardwood (CH) types equaling the volume (44%) found in the EWP types.  Additional analysis shows EWP volume growth is highest in the SF type and among the highest in the CH types resulting in EWP becoming the dominant species in stands with large diameters (12-18 in).  About 30% of the regenerating EWP samplings occur in the SF, 53% in CH, and 19% in the pine type, a regeneration abundance that contradicts earlier impressions of eastern white pine becoming less dominant in mixed stands (Marshall 2009); the future of EWP in Maine will be in mixed species types. 

For many decades, white pine health has been adversely affected by the non-native white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) and the native white pine weevil (Pisodes strobi) (Costanza et al. 2018).  More recently a stem canker pathogen, Caliciopsis pinea, and the pine bast scale, Matsucoccus macrocicatrices, have occurred separately or together in association with EWP decline, dieback, and mortality. Managing EWP stands can be effective in reducing risks and losses due to these fungal pathogens and insect pests (Livingston et al. 2019).  A recent study (Noone-Price 2025) indicates that an alternative approach to reduce white pine weevil damage is to manage EWP in mixtures. 

More information is needed on EWP dynamics in mixed species stands so that silvicultural and management guidelines can be developed to improve EWP regeneration, growth, health, and economic value. 

Evolving dynamics of cultural, biological adaptations, and ecological interactions has made eastern white pine an iconic tree species for the forests of northeastern North America that is 1) culturally relevant, 2) covers a broad geography, 3) highly resilient and productive which 4) could be improved with effective management.

The importance of the work, and what the consequences are if it is not done.

Future supply of EWP is essential in states where there is commercial demand for the wood, and assurance of future availability will make the species more attractive for commercial investment in other states.  Efforts are needed immediately to reduce the uncertainty about where and how to manage EWP across its range so that its health, growth, and value can be maintained or improved.    

Although the multiple stress agents associated with EWP health issues make it a challenge to grow, strategies aimed at improving white pine health are readily available for stands dominated by EWP (Livingston et al. 2019).  White pine has long been successfully regenerated using silvicultural methods, such as shelterwood and seed tree cuts, and responds very well to thinning, and recommended management strategies can reduce health risks (Lancaster and Leak 1978).  However, as explained above, about half of the current volume of EWP occurs in stands mixed with other species, and it is not known if current recommendations on EWP health are appropriate for the mixed-species stands.  By gaining a better understanding of how EWP is developing in the mixed species stand and how it can be managed along with associated species, we will be able to recommend silvicultural treatments that improve EWP growth and value and reduce the risk of white pine damage due to common stressors.   

There are concerns about future development and availability of EWP and uncertainty on how the species will respond to a changing climate with some predicting reduced importance (L. Iverson, Prasad, and Matthews 2008; Prasad et al. 2020), and others are predicting stable habitat amounts (Yang et al. 2015; L. R. Iverson et al. 2019; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2026).  The uncertainty on the future range of EWP needs to be addressed to help with making future management decisions for the species. 

The Hatch Act of 1887 funds investigations supporting rural economies by maximizing contribution by agriculture to the welfare of the consumer.  As an iconic tree species, EWP is a model system where improved knowledge and understanding can significantly improve the species’ economic and ecological contributions to rural communities throughout most of the eastern US.  As the following narrative will establish, EWP has proven economic value but is underutilized in much of it’s range.  Our Multi-state effort will strengthen the confidence of land owners and industry that EWP will thrive in the future and be a source of economic prosperity to the region.

The technical feasibility of the research, the advantages of doing the work as a multistate effort.

The USDA Forest Service FIA program has provided a data resource from which the current status of EWP can be defined for states throughout its range.  The length of data collection varies by state.  Maine’s current FIA data set from the same sample plots begins in 1999, and the entire 3000+ plots were remeasured on a 5-year cycle such that most plots have been measured 5 times by 2023.  Other states started to measure plots at a similar time but usually have a 7-year cycle for remeasuring plots.  The raw data files can be downloaded from the FIA “Datamart” in comma delimited format such that it can easily provide input to R-studio and Excel for analysis. 

Given the complexity and extent of EWP issues across a large range, it is unlikely that major advances will be accomplished by any single state’s group working in relative isolation; such advances require collaboration among groups working in parallel. Collectively, potential project members have an enormous amount of expertise in various aspects of tree management and health. Bringing members together in a structured and active arrangement would create a synergism in analyses and interpretation efforts, thereby increasing research efficiency and productivity, with the ultimate goal of improving EWP’s management and health throughout the region.

Currently, the potential project members include researchers and outreach professionals from Land Grant Universities in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, and North Carolina.  Many of these participants work directly with stakeholders.  Creating the multistate project will allow project members to:

• Review, synthesize, and share information from analyses of FIA data.


• Identify critical knowledge gaps that currently hamper efforts to improve EWP management.


• Avoid unnecessary duplication of research effort.


• Develop additional multi-institutional research proposals for national-level grants in order to bolster and build upon this initial work.


• Develop silvicultural prescriptions and other management recommendations to help mitigate potential white pine threats.


• Ensure that new findings are communicated with land managers.

What the likely impact will be from successfully completing the work.

Bringing together region-wide expertise on EWP issues will allow assessment of the species’ responses to a changing environment.  The combination of land use changes and climate events may be initiating transformations in white pine’s responses to its environment that may dramatically alter the appropriate management prescriptions for the future.  The proposed working group will initiate this assessment and develop a range-wide understanding of the future of EWP in the region’s forests.  Finally, our goal of using this initial project to motivate an additional multi-institutional, national-level grant could lead to much broader impact than that outlined above.