Who eats lodgepole pines in the Yellowstone Park?

Lodgepole pines are not just a backdrop to Yellowstone’s landscape; they are an active part of the park’s food web, supporting a wide range of animals in different ways throughout the year. While no large animal eats lodgepole pine trees in their entirety, many species depend on their needles, bark, seeds, cones, or even fallen wood for food, making this tree one of the most important plant resources in the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Quick Reference: Who Eats Lodgepole Pines in Yellowstone?

Animal or Group	What They Eat from Lodgepole Pines
Red squirrels	Seeds from pine cones
Crossbills	Seeds extracted from cones
Clark’s nutcrackers	Pine seeds
Elk and deer	Needles, twigs, and bark (mainly winter)
Porcupines	Inner bark and cambium
Bark beetles	Inner tree tissues
Woodpeckers	Beetles and larvae living in the trees

One of the most direct consumers of lodgepole pine is the red squirrel. These small but highly influential animals harvest lodgepole pine cones and store them in large middens, sometimes piling up thousands of cones in a single location. The seeds inside the cones are a crucial winter food source, allowing red squirrels to survive Yellowstone’s long, harsh winters. In the process, squirrels also influence forest regeneration, because not all stored seeds are eaten, and some eventually sprout into new trees.

Birds are another major group that feed on lodgepole pines, especially species that specialize in conifer seeds. Pine siskins and red crossbills are particularly important consumers. Crossbills have uniquely shaped beaks designed to pry open tightly closed cones, including those of lodgepole pine, allowing them to extract seeds that other birds cannot reach. Woodpeckers, while not feeding directly on the pine tissue, rely on lodgepole pines to find insects living beneath the bark, especially in dead or weakened trees. By consuming these insects, woodpeckers indirectly depend on lodgepole pines as a food source.

Large mammals interact with lodgepole pines in different ways, especially during winter. Elk and deer occasionally browse on young lodgepole pine seedlings or strip bark from saplings when other food sources are scarce. While this is not a primary food source for them, it can influence forest structure by slowing pine regeneration in heavily browsed areas. Moose, though less common in lodgepole-dominated forests, may also browse young pine growth when moving through mixed habitats.

Insects are some of the most significant consumers of lodgepole pines, even though they often go unnoticed. Bark beetles, particularly mountain pine beetles, feed on the inner bark and phloem of lodgepole pines. During outbreaks, these insects can kill vast numbers of trees across Yellowstone. While bark beetles are often viewed negatively, they play an important ecological role by thinning forests, creating wildlife habitat, and providing food for birds like woodpeckers that feed on beetle larvae.

Even after lodgepole pines die, they continue to support consumers. Fungi break down fallen logs, turning wood into nutrients that enrich the soil. Small mammals feed on fungi associated with decaying pine roots, and insects colonize dead wood, creating another layer of the food web. Over time, this decomposition process recycles nutrients back into the ecosystem, supporting grasses, shrubs, and eventually new lodgepole pine seedlings.

Bears also benefit indirectly from lodgepole pines. Grizzly and black bears often raid red squirrel middens to steal stored pine cones, especially in years when other food sources are limited. This behavior shows how lodgepole pines influence food availability even for top predators, despite not being eaten directly by them.

In Yellowstone, lodgepole pines are less about being consumed by one dominant species and more about supporting many forms of life at different levels. From squirrels and birds to insects, fungi, and even large mammals, countless organisms depend on lodgepole pines for food either directly or indirectly. This wide-ranging influence is one of the reasons lodgepole pine forests are so central to Yellowstone’s ecological stability and why changes to these forests can ripple through the entire ecosystem.