Document Type
Newsletter
Volume
14
Issue
4
Editor
Paul Rogers
Publisher
Western Aspen Alliance
Publication Date
11-2023
First Page
1
Last Page
5
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
Sierra forest resilience and aspen restoration
Anne Marie Holt
While searching for hidden aspen stands on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, I scan the forest for a faint shimmer. The distinctive quaking of the aspen is a dead giveaway for the location. Rarely found in contiguous stands, aspen appear at meadow fringes, along streams, or where snow may persist. These seral stands need periodic disturbance to trigger aspen regeneration and to reset conifer growth. Without such events, the conifers continue to overtop the aspen until none remain. Western slope aspen may be sparse but are important habitat for flora and fauna; even surpassing the biodiversity of adjacent meadows. The question we asked ourselves at the Central Sierra Western Slope Aspen Workshop in California was, what is the best way to restore limited aspen that are intertwined with expansive conifer systems?
Recommended Citation
Western Aspen Alliance, "Tremblings, November 2023" (2023). Tremblings. Paper 1.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/tremblings/1