Aspen trees dying from fungus in the West – 09/17/2006

  • November 25, 2013 at 3:02 am #1283
    Mike
    Keymaster

    “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.

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