Document Type
Newsletter
Volume
9
Issue
2
Editor
Paul Rogers
Publisher
Western Aspen Alliance
Publication Date
5-2018
First Page
1
Last Page
5
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
Wyoming's High Desert: Aspen habitat presents challenges
Kevin Spence
The high elevation desert of southwest Wyoming occurs between 6,040 ft. and 9,550 ft. Isolated “high points” in the area are dryland oases supporting high aquatic and terrestrial wildlife species richness, as vegetative diversity provides essential life stage habitat needs for numerous species. Although aspen makes up the smallest percentage of all vegetation types on this landscape, I consider aspen stands and their associate understories the most ecologically important in this ecosystem. Just a few benefits these aspen stands provide include: solid dam building material for beaver pond complexes providing riparian wetlands and stream system stability, nesting habitat for neo-tropical migrant bird species, summer nurseries providing high nutrition to meet lactation demands for elk calves and mule deer fawns, and as a key headwaters component for sustaining watershed health and function through snowmelt capture, infiltration, spring/seep recharge, thereby promoting maintenance of base stream flows for Colorado River Cutthroat Trout.
Recommended Citation
Western Aspen Alliance, "Tremblings, May 2018" (2018). Tremblings. Paper 36.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/tremblings/36