Aspen Bibliography

Aspen Age Structure and Stand Conditions on Elk Winter Range in the Northern Yellowstone Ecosystem

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Forest Ecology and Management

Volume

179

Issue

1-3

First Page

469

Last Page

482

Publication Date

7-2003

Abstract

Age-structure analysis of aspen (Populus tremuloides) was conducted on Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) winter range in the northern Yellowstone area by collecting increment cores from aspen trees in Yellowstone National Park, the Gallatin National Forest, and the Sunlight/Crandall area of the Shoshone National Forest. Our goal was to compare aspen age structure for elk winter range in the park with age structures developed for elk winter range in the national forests. We collected increment cores from aspen in three diameter size classes and three aspen habitat types (xeric, mesic, and scree). A special effort was made to collect increment cores from the relatively rare scree habitat type, since scree forms a ‘‘natural exclosure’’ where browsing pressure on aspen is reduced. The age structure of aspen in Yellowstone was significantly different from the age structures of aspen in either of the national forest areas (P

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