Text Box: Aspen are commonly thought of as a unique and very visually appealing tree; however, aspen also play a more serious role in the health of the forest and the survivability of your home in a wildfire. Aspen is considered the second most important habitat type for wildlife in the Rocky Mountains. Aspen stands provide more forage than conifer stands and are home to a much greater abundance of wildlife. The bark and buds of aspen are a preferred food source for many big game species and provide a winter food source when snow levels are high. Aspen stands are often described as an oasis when compared to the desert-like understory environment of many conifer stands, such as lodgepole pine. Aspen stands use less water than conifer stands, making more moisture available to plants on the forest floor. Therefore, aspen stands are much lusher and support a greater variety of plant species. Text Box: Aspen trees are less flammable than conifers and the plants within aspen stands generally have higher moisture contents than plants within conifer stands. Fires that burn through aspen stands are generally less intense and more easily suppressed than a fire in a conifer stand. Aspen stands also provide breaks in the canopy of a conifer forest and force a crown fire to the ground where it is more manageable. For these reasons, aspen is a very desirable tree to have on your property. Aspen is common in the foothills of Fremont County; however, the amount of land that aspen occupy has been greatly reduced over the past century. Most aspen stands in the county are on the decline, due to grazing pressures and encroachment by conifers. Cattle and big game species feast on young aspen, often nipping them back annually and preventing them from growing beyond a foot or two in height. Conifer species also seed in aspen stands and eventually overtake the stand, out-competing the aspen for available resources. These conditions are slowly killing most aspen stands and preventing them from reproducing. So what can you do to improve the health of aspen on your property and improve the growth of new trees? First of all, an understanding of how aspen reproduce is necessary to successfully propagate a healthy aspen stand. Aspen are unique from most tree species because they reproduce by sending shoots up from the root system, also called suckering. Suckering is triggered when an aspen tree dies. The root system sends up many small trees to replace the leaf area of the tree that died. In many ways, this type of reproduction is a disadvantage. If aspen are lost to an area, they will not reproduce from seed like other trees. Text Box: Now that you have a good understanding of aspen ecology and you have decided you want to save your aspen stands, the following steps should be made: 1.) Cut out all conifer trees from within aspen stands - All conifer trees should be removed that are found intermixed with mature aspen and/or aspen suckers. Aspen suckers often extend quite a distance out from the mature aspen; therefore, an extensive search of the area will be necessary to identify all conifers for removal. 2.) Cut down a proportion of the mature aspen to stimulate suckering - Cutting down approximately 1/3 of the mature aspen will trigger greater sucker production, hopefully increasing the proportion of suckers that grow past the reach of big game. 3.) If suckers are being continually nipped off by cattle or big game, fence around the aspen - To keep large animals out and prevent them from browsing on aspen suckers a fence around the aspen stand should be constructed. 4.) Do not feed big game - By feeding big game, you are attracting them to your property where they will continually graze on the aspen. Aspen stands are critical to wildlife habitat, provide breaks in the conifers and are extremely valuable to the overall health of the forest. To ensure aspen is not replaced by conifers, homeowners must take an active role in managing their aspen stands. Much of the work necessary is difficult and time consuming; yet, the consequences of doing nothing could be devastating. For more information on aspen management, contact Wyoming State Forestry Division at (307) 856-8655. by Mark ‘Oly’ Ellison Wyoming State Forestry Division Text Box: Aspen Provide Much More than Aesthetic Values Text Box: Page #

Foothills Observer

The conifers in this aspen stand have been removed, improving conditions for the aspen
NEXT PAGE