Sustaining Aspen in Western Landscapes

Aspen is a relatively minor component of Rocky Mountain landscapes, typically comprising less than 5% of the forest area (but covering more than 50% in some landscapes). Although aspen forests are is a relatively minor component of Rocky Mountain landscapes, they are important for many aspects. Aspen forests have twice the diversity of understory plants, including rare and endemic species, than conifer forests. A wide range of wildlife, from cavity-nesting birds to elk, use or depend upon aspen stands. Aspen plays an important role in the fire regimes of the Rockies; aspen stands provide natural fire breaks that may limit the extent of wildfires. Perhaps the most visible role played by aspen is its scenic beauty.
The already-limited extent of aspen in Rocky Mountain forests may be declining. Much of this “decline” results from normal succession processes toward conifer dominance. High populations of elk may also preventing natural regeneration of aspen clones in some cases. The actual picture of aspen forests across the Rockies is highly variable, and the presence of conifers and elk in aspen stands may or may not indicate a progressive loss of aspen.
The story of aspen in Rocky Mountain landscapes is clearly a diverse story; some areas are losing aspen as a result of normal succession to conifers, and other areas are showing a lack of aspen regeneration as a result of stand aging, fire suppression and excessive browsing. Aspen forests are stable or increasing in some areas. Our choices about land management activities in the coming decades will determine the extent of aspen forests for the next century.
The international symposium "Sustaining Aspen in Western Landscapes" held June 13-15,200 in Grand Junction, CO, gave over 250 researchers, managers, and people with strong interests in aspen and western landscapes the opportunity to share scientific knowledge about aspen. The proceedings of that meeting “Sustaining aspen in western landscapes” published in 2001 by RMRS (Proceedings RMRS-P-18) summarize the state of knowledge about aspen ecology, the condition and trends in aspen ecosystems in western North America and Canada, and present human dimension and management options for sustaining aspen. Thirty-seven peer-reviewed papers, four presentation abstracts, and sixteen poster abstracts cover topics including landscape dynamics of aspen and conifer forests, animal/aspen interactions, the ecological role of aspen, physiology and production ecology, aspen forest products, and human dimensions.

Citation: Shepperd, W. D., Binkley, D. Bartos, D. L., Stohlgren, T. J., Eskew, L. G. comps. 2001. Sustaining aspen in western landscapes: Symposium proceedings. Proc. RMRS-P-18. 2000, June 13-15; Grand Junction, Co. Fort Collins, CO: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 460 p.