Loss of aspens worth quaking over
Answer: A grove of aspen trees that fills 106 acres near Salt Lake City. All 47,000 stems sprout from the root of one tree. The grove, if hoisted, would weigh 13.2 million pounds.
Utah loves its aspen trees. Most residents have come to call them "quakies" out of affection. Their shimmering yellow leaves are as much a part of Utah autumns as football.
Now, according to the U.S. Forest Service, the state's aspens are in trouble. As conifer trees have come into aspen groves, the large evergreens have hogged the sunlight and withered the aspens. The only way to bring back the quakies, according to forestry officials, is to get rid of the conifers and let the aspens grow again. They are usually the first trees to sprout in a burned or clear-cut area. And they mature quickly, bouncing skyward at about five feet a year. The aspens provide forage for elk and deer, enrich the forest soils and they grow from root stock, not seeds, so they are resistent to fire.
The problem is that many wilderness aficionados have appealed the decision to allow the aspens to return and have even taken the fight into the courts.
Years ago, the New England states tipped to the fact that bright, fall foliage not only makes for a good calendar, but it attracts visitors to the area during the display. The same phenomenon is being seen in Utah. Fall trees attract tourists. And the state's fall colors play second fiddle to none. Anyone who has motored through Sardine Canyon near Logan on a brisk October afternoon has probably stopped for a few minutes just to savor the breathtaking view. The hills seem to be covered with Trix cereal. Amid the bright red maple leaves and burnished oak, the electric yellow leaves of the quaking aspens gleam like golden coins.
It would be a shame if Utah lost such sights due to an oversight. And as for the forestry service stepping in to intercede with nature, rangers point out that the only reason the conifer trees are choking out the aspens is because imported "cheat grass" — brought into feed cattle in the 1800s — created the chain reaction that hurt the aspens.
It's time for the purists to take a long view — both backward and forward — and see that the hand of man has already created the situation in the hills. They need to let the Forest Service step in and allow the quaking aspen to flourish.
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