The Crown of the Continent High Five Working Group (Hi5WG) was formed in 2016 with a mission to protect and restore functional whitebark and limber pine ecosystems by fostering transboundary collaboration and coordination to transfer sound scientific knowledge, leverage funding opportunities, and optimize restoration and conservation efforts within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Click on the buttons on the website to learn more about the Hi5WG.

In 2019, the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE) Hi5 Working Group piloted a process to develop a strategic approach for conserving and restoring Whitebark Pine on a five-million acre subset of the CCE that included the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal lands, Glacier National Park, and the Flathead National Forest. This work will inform the selection of restoration core areas as part of the National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan (Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation) and also will be used as a template for other management units outside the CCE (https://whitebarkfound.org/national-whitebark-pine-restoration-plan/).

The lessons learned and methodology established in this pilot will be used to complete a strategy for whitebark pine as well as limber pine, for all lands within the CCE. Please contact Linh Hoang if you are interested in joining the Technical Team as we expand the pilot to develop a conservation strategy for the remaining lands in the CCE (for whitebark and limber pine).