Sudden Aspen Decline Showing Up Across Colorado - Causes Remain Unclear, Though Drought Suspected

[hatrack]

MONTROSE — Aspen stands afflicted by a progressive decline appear to continue spiraling down, even with an increase in moisture brought by spring. This is one of several observations from ongoing studies of sudden aspen decline (SAD) in forests surrounding Montrose.

Canker fungi and wood boring beetles, some of the organisms implicated in SAD, have life cycles lasting several years, causing declines to persist even though there's more soil moisture, said entomologist Roy Mask, Forest Service Forest Health Management in Gunnison. "It's probably to early to tell (what the effect of moisture is). What we suspect is if indeed these stands are weakened by drought, then we would expect that if we returned to a more reasonable moisture regime that things would eventually improve," said Mask.

Impacted stands would not be able to heal right away just because they are taking on more moisture, he said. "The decline they're experiencing is already at play. What might play out is if we have several years of improved conditions then we might see it taper off. We might see those organisms complete their life cycles and we might see aspen return to a better condition."

Severe drought, especially what occurred in 2002, is suspected of triggering the sudden aspen decline, and creating stressful conditions which leave trees vulnerable to insects and diseases. SAD has shown up in large areas in the San Juan, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG). A fairly extensive outbreak is visible in the Terror Creek area near Paonia. In 2007, substantial new areas of mortality were seen on the GMUG and the affected area statewide more than doubled, affecting about 13 percent of the aspen acreage. Aerial surveys conducted in 2006 showed 138,000 acres of aspen forest were affected, the USDA Forest Service reported. In some stands, more than 60 percent of the mature trees died between 2003 and 2006.

EDIT

http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2008/07/08/news/doc486d9b472a000882972052.txt

[1monster]

1. What was that note that Skooter Libby sent to that Times columnist? Something about Aspin's root

systems being interconnected?

:tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :scared: :scared: :tinfoilhat: :tinfoilhat: :evilgrin:

[Mrs. Overall]

2. Here's the quote (whenever I hear anything about aspens, I think of Libby, too):

"You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. You will have stories to cover – Iraqi elections and suicide bombers, biological threats and the Iranian nuclear program. Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them. Come back to work – and life. Until then, you will remain in my thoughts and prayers."