Preparing the landscape for invasion - early intervention approaches for threatened high elevation white pine ecosystems

White pine blister rust is now a permanent resident of North America. The disease continued to cause tree mortality and impact ecosystems in many areas. However, not all high elevation white pine ecosystems have been invaded; the pathogen is still spreading within the distributions of the whitebark, limber, foxtail, Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine and has yet to infect Great Basin bristlecone pines. While the heavily impacted areas are in need of immediate management to restore ecosystem function, management of the threatened areas to position them to avoid development of severe impacts upon invasion is also an immediate need - as the disease intensifies, time is running out.