Whitebark pines
Perched high on a wind-lashed crest near the Canadian border sits a tree that may be the single oldest living thing in the Pacific Northwest.
Section:Gallery
-
Two dead whitebark pines are seen smothered by faster growing subalpine firs on the Kettle Crest on Dec. 10, 2020.
Eli Francovich
-
Tim Coleman pauses to rest while skiing up the Kettle Crest on Dec. 10, 2020. In the background a dead whitebark pine is visible.
Eli Francovich
-
Tim Coleman hikes the final 100 yards or so to an ancient whitebark pine on the Kettle Crest in northeast Washington on Dec. 10, 2020.
Eli Francovich
-
The trunk of a whitebark pine as seen on Dec. 10, 2020. This tree is anywhere between 500 and 1,000 years old.
Eli Francovich
-
Tim Coleman eats lunch at the base of a whitebark pine on the Kettle Crest in the Colville National Forest on Dec. 10, 2020.
Eli Francovich
-
A large whitebark pine, center, as seen on Dec. 10, 2020.
Eli Francovich
-
Tim Coleman clears a cut subalpine fir from around the base of a whitebark pine in the Colville National Forest on Dec. 10, 2020. Coleman and his wife, Sue, spent several summers cutting down faster growing trees in hopes of buying the endangered whitebark pines more time.
Eli Francovich
-
Tim Coleman stands at the base of a whitebark pine on the Kettle Crest in the Colville National Forest on Dec. 10, 2020.
Eli Francovich
-
A Forest Service tag on whitebark pine as seen on Dec. 10, 2020.
Eli Francovich
-
A closeup shot of the whitebark pine’s distinctive needles, which come in bundles of five.
Eli Francovich
Related Content