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A whitebark pine subfossil revealed beneath a melting ice patch in the Yellowstone region indicates that a mature forest grew above current tree line about 6,000 years ago, when the temperatures were similar to 20th century conditions and cooler than present. Photo courtesy Daniel Stahle
Montana State University scientists say the frozen remnants of an ancient forest discovered 600 feet above the modern tree line on the Beartooth Plateau may portend possible changes for the alpine ecosystem if the climate continues to warm.
A paper about the discovery was published Dec. 30 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It describes what scientists have learned by studying the remains of a mature whitebark pine forest that formed at 10,000 feet elevation about 6,000 years ago, when warm-season temperatures in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem were similar to th...
