Southwestern White Pine Site Data, USA and Mexico

These data relate to sites where southwestern white pine (SWWP; Pinus strobiformis) or hybrids of the species with limber pine (Pinus flexilis) are found in the southwestern USA and the Sierra Madre de Occidental, Mexico. SWWP is an important component of mixed conifer forests throughout its range but faces an uncertain future given the non-native tree disease, white pine blister rust, and the rapidly changing climate. Objectives of the project were to (a) characterize the spatial patterns of standing phenotypic variation of cone and seed morphological traits and (b) estimate the relative importance of the effects of different environmental (external) and genetic (internal) factors on these morphological traits. Data were collected to decribe the abiotic and biotic environmental conditions surrounding individual cone-bearing SWWP trees and characteristics of the trees themselves, including reproductive structures, foliage, presence of disease, and tree size. Additional projects utilize the same sites and data. Each site consisted of 3-5 maternal (cone-bearing) trees with a minimum distance of 50m between trees.