2000 - 2013 - Significant Decline In Aspen Stands, Health Across 1.3 Million Acres In S. Rockies
In late September and early October, Coloradans swarm to the mountains, clutching cameras and phones, hoping to experience the magical transformation of aspens from green to gold. A few decades from now, though, those glorious aspen stands are likely to be fewer, as global climate change shifts the places where aspen grow and thrive.
While humans began warming the planet at the dawn of the industrial age, it wasn't until about 10 years ago that multiple stands of aspens began dying, in Colorado and elsewhere in the southern Rockies. From 2000 to 2010, 1.3 million acres in the region saw significant aspen decline.
Researchers named the phenomenon sudden aspen decline, or SAD, and started tracking these stands to learn more about why they were dying. After years of research, they finally found the culprit: a long-term drought that culminated in widespread aspen die-off. In essence, during the drought, the climate in those stands became unsuitable for aspen.
"That's what gave us the clue that you could think of SAD as the first wave of climate change impacts to aspen," said James Worrall, a researcher with the U.S. Forest Service in Gunnison, Colorado.
EDIT
http://www.kunc.org/post/colorados-iconic-aspens-face-steep-decline-climate-change
