National Forest Legal News Blog

Colorado - Forest Service plans to burn a large patch of aspen in Grand Mesa National Forest to fight a sudden aspen decline accross the region. The article can be found in the Summit Daily. Here's an excerpt:

“We are calling it sudden aspen decline,” Clementson said.

In 2008, the Forest Service estimated, based on aerial surveys, 17 percent of the state's aspen were affected. That number encompasses 553,000 acres of groves that animals depend on for survival and humans turn to for enjoyment.

“Aspen is a critical ecosystem in the mountains of Colorado,” said Randy Hampton, a Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman. “Elk are probably the one species that are most visible and visibly dependent on the aspen community. That is where you will see, as aspen stands die off, you certainly have the potential for a decline in elk reproduction in those areas.”