The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The mountain pine beetle is killing pine trees in many areas of North America. The beetle’s effects are particularly devastating in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Yellowstone National Park looms large in the history of conservation—not only in the history of the United States but of the entire world.

As the world’s first national park, its example has inspired the creation of other parks and natural reserves worldwide; and within the United States, it has played an important role in the creation of the National Forest System.

Yellowstone National Park forms the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The history of the area goes back to the late 1800s:

• The first National Forest (the Shoshone) was established in 1891, which abuts the eastern boundary of the Park.
• Subsequently, national forests and protected areas were established in surrounding areas.
• This collection of national parks, national forests, and wildlife refuges has become collectively known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The GYE is an informal designation, and the exact boundaries vary with each agency.

• The GYE is about the size of South Carolina.
• Currently accepted boundaries include approximately 8,093,712 ha (20,000,000 ac)—an area roughly the size of South Carolina.
• A significant part of this (approximately 1/3) is formally protected as either national parks or designated Wilderness areas.
• Much of the remaining land maintains its wild character.

Part Two – Wednesday at 3:00 PM MST.

About the authors

Jesse A. Logan was a research entomologist for the Interior West Bark Beetle Project of the U.S. Forest Service, Utah. He retired in 2006, and he moved to Emigrant, Montana in order to continue his research and participate in advocacy for high-elevation, Rocky Mountain ecosystems. Before joining the U.S. Forest Service, he held faculty positions at Colorado State University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. He has published extensively on the influence of weather and climate on insect population dynamics. In recent years, this work has increasingly focused on climate change impacts; and, in particular, the altered ecological role of mountain pine beetle in response to this rapidly changing thermal environment. Logan completed his PhD at Washington State University in 1977.

William W. Macfarlane master’s thesis research used remote sensing and GIS to investigate vegetation change related to land use in a rangeland ecosystem over a 150-year period. The completion of this thesis and masters degree in 1999 lead to his current position as a GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist at GEO/Graphics, Inc. in Logan, Utah. Macfarlane’s professional experience involves using GIS and remote sensing to assess land-use and environmental issues world-wide. His work experience includes the development and implementation of GIS databases for vegetation change detection mapping, resource management planning, and wildlife habitat restoration.