[Mike]

“Bartos thinks a fungus may be to blame, while others suggest such
possibilities as hungry caterpillars, drought, human interference with
the natural cycle of forest fires and resurgent herds of hungry elk
nibbling saplings to death.

Aspen stands have been hard hit in southwestern Colorado, northern
Arizona and parts of Utah and Canada. A conservative estimate is that
10 percent of the aspens in Colorado may have died or become afflicted
with something in the last five to 10 years, Bartos said. That works
out to about 560 square miles of dead or dying trees. ”

Let’s see, there’s always been fungus, caterpillars, hungry elk
nibbling, nibbling, nibbling away. The western slope of the Rockies
has had drought only recently, humans have fought forest fires for
decades. Let’s see, what is new in the last 5 or 10 years? Hmmmmmm….
Mike C.