Some Colorado aspen forests may owe their beauty to the mining boom. Aspens love disturbance. When fire or logging removes competing trees, sunlight warms the soil and surviving aspen roots send up thousands of suckers. Researchers studying aspens near Crested Butte note that many Colorado stands got their start following large fires associated with mining and settlement in the late 1800s. So, some aspen forests we admire today may carry fingerprints of miners, loggers and fires from over a century ago. Sometimes Colorado history is written in the trees.
Growing Home: Colorado Aspen Forests
