Ahhh, wonderful fall. The waning warmth from the sun brings a welcome chill from summer heat, migrating birds start heading to their southern range, and deciduous hardwoods begin turning red, orange, and yellow heralding the leaf peeping season. Sugar maples give up the green for eye-popping reds, orange and brown tones come to the stately oaks, and white-barked aspens put on a display of vivid yellows and golds. But if its aspens that trigger your camera finger, take your pictures now, as aspens from Arizona to Colorado to Idaho are falling by the tens of thousands.
These picturesque groves of aspens are not just a pretty face. Their fire resistance also serves as a fire break, their thin branches that allow sunlight to filter through encourage grasses to grow on the forest floor–as much as 2,000 pounds per acre–holding water destined for metropolitan areas, and they provide a habitat for elk, deer, and birds.
The die-off, caused by parasitic insects (one of which, the aspen bark beetle, is so rare that it was previously mentioned only once in scientific papers) and termed Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD), started seven years ago. But with the current warming trend accentuated by the recent drought, SAD has accelerated, most noticeably in Colorado where nearly one-fifth–500,000 acres–of its aspen groves have been affected. Where once flocks of tourists came to ooh and aah over the flaming golden leaves, now only an army of dead aspen skeletons cover the hillsides. Scientists estimate that in the 1800s aspens covered 10 million acres, while now only 4 million acres remain.
Climate change, though hastening the current aspen decline, is not the only culprit affecting the aspens. Previous forest management policies dictated prevention of fires, which also led to a proliferation of big conifers that crowd out the aspens. But more important, aspen grow in “clones” from a massive root system of genetically identical trunks, some thousands of years old (though the individual trees only last about 150 years). Some aspen groves are believed to be the world’s heaviest, largest, or oldest organisms. Wildfires prompt these clone groves to send up fresh sprouts revitalizing aspen forests. But studies are finding out that new growth is rare in SAD-affected stands.
So if you planned on fall camping or boondocking in a golden yellow aspen grove, you better hurry.
Check out my eBook, BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands on my Web site or at RVbookstore.com.
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GMAs
that reminds me with all them leaves… a… changing color that I have to get up and clean out the gutters again… damm trees… curse of the homeowner… 😀
wan-a know why trees lose their leaf’s… from shaking… hear that chain saw a- running… known fact that more trees are attacked by bugs… or cut down …than lost to global warming yearly… save a spruce tree this year … use a fake christmas tree.. ya that works… put some of that glade pine forrest … smell good on it.. then just to keep it up and make the living room smell like all outdoors put the glade sprayer on 15 min intervals… that should work… in the RV too… just remember not to let fluffy play with the lights that are plugged into the wall… (christmas vacations movie)
Out of the total number of Christmass trees (some 5.3 million) cut down yearly… almost a whopping 25% never make it to the living room… and are chipped up and left on the lots as ground cover… now thats a waist… poor tree… Why its like going out and shooting all the bambi’s so you can pick out the one you want to take home… after all a tree is a live thing too… huh…
GMAs
Bob… isn’t it a little hard to see the yellows and red through ALL THE SNOW !!!!!! 😀
gLOBAL WARMING left early this year… HUH !!!! 😉 😉
RV Sales
That is SAD in deep. Aspens are one of my favorite trees and definitely make camping even more beautiful. Thanks for the sad but true news.
Joespeh
The idea that forests are a static landscape is outdated. In my part of the world Chestnut Blight dramatically changed the composition of the forest, and now balsam wooly agelids are doing the same. Just north of me, Gypsy moths have wreaked havoc. We have substantial evidence that the forests seen by the Pilgrims was substantially altered by man made fires. People (and the diseases they help spread) have been influencing the forest environment for at least hundreds of years, and will continue to do so.
People still come to enjoy beautiful leaves in the fall.
John Irwin
Well Bob all the hard wood trees here in south central Indy. have lost all thier leaves. It happened in the last 4 days or so, First the wind then the rain and wind. So sad, but all seasons must change some time. Spring will be before we know it.