High Five Working Group
OUR MISSION
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. We work together to exchange sound scientific knowledge, leverage funding opportunities, and optimize restoration and conservation efforts within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Click on the buttons below to learn more about the Hi5WG.
OUR WORK
In 2021 Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE) Hi5 Working Group completed the Crown-scale Five Needle Pine Restoration Strategy. Together, five needle pine experts from across the Crown were able to combine their knowledge and spatial data to create a map of the places that are most important for whitebark and limber pine conservation. Not only does the map indicate high conservation value areas, but it also shows what restoration actions (ie. thinning, planting, prescribed burning, etc.) would be most effective and efficient.
While the summary report for this amazing Crown-scale effort is still in the works, you can check out this video of team lead, Melissa Jenkins, and GIS expert, Joe Fortier, discussing the process.
This effort first began in 2019 as a pilot project on a five-million acre subset of the CCE that included the Confederated Salish & Kootenai tribal lands, Glacier National Park, and the Flathead National Forest.
A more detailed final report of the GIS analysis is available upon request (contact linh.hoang@usda.gov).
our Partners in Action
Check out these resources that highlight some of the amazing, on the ground work that our Hi5 working group partners do!
