Sometime in the next few weeks, federal land managers will try to stimulate moribund aspen groves by intentionally setting fire to about 500 acres of aspen stands in western Colorado, around Battlement Mesa.
Biologists and fire experts want to know if they can treat aspen stands that have experienced widespread and severe dieback in recent years. Researchers are calling the phenomenon “sudden aspen decline.”
In 2008, they recorded unusual damage across 553,000 acres of aspen groves in Colorado. More than 17 percent of the state’s aspen stands have been affected.
Prescribed fire may be a potential tool for regeneration in some areas and under certain conditions. Monitoring plots have been identified to help determine the effects of this treatment and to monitor the long-term effects of re-introducing fire into the ecosystem.
Researchers aren’t completely sure why Colorado’s signature trees have experienced this sudden decline, but they suspect fire suppression is a contributing factor, along with overgrazing of young aspen trees by elk. Drought and a changing climate also might play a role.
The controlled burns are part of a wider effort to explore options for treatment. Aspen forests are important for wildlife habitat, scenic values, and water storage and quality.
The trees, with their twirling leaves and brilliant fall colors, are dying at an unprecedented rate, especially in the southern part of the state. Natural regeneration is not keeping pace with the die-off.
