FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Aspen trees aren't just a pretty sight in the fall, they could also be a valuable tool for crews as they fight wildfires in the state.
“What we found is that wildfires, when they interacted with landscapes with a lot of aspen, so like more than 25% of the landscape had some aspen in it, fires tended to grow less in a given day,” said Camille Stevens-Rumann, interim director for CSU’s Colorado Forest Restoration Institute.
Stevens-Rumann spearheaded the study, working along with researchers from Western Colorado University and the U.S. Forest Service.
After looking at over 300 fires in the Southwest, researchers found that aspens' higher moisture content made them less flammable and more capable of slowing fires down.
“Actions that help promote aspen growth [are] one really great strategy to potentially help mitigate some of those future fires,” she said.
This includes using methods like tree thinning or prescribed burns to promote aspen growth in the forest.
If you live in a fire-prone area, planting aspen trees in your yard could be a good idea.
“Aspens do have more open canopy style, but you want to make sure that you are limiting them up six feet to ten feet off the ground to help suppress those fires near your house,” said Wyatt Bashinski, nursery manager at Bath Garden Center in Fort Collins.
Bashinski said aspen trees thrive when planted between 6,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level.
Aspen trees growing anywhere lower than that require a little extra maintenance.
The first three years are typically make-or-break for freshly planted trees.
“They are very fast growers, and it's because they have a crazy, vigorous root system, and that is kind of why they are good with the fires,” he said.
Researchers say the study represents a significant step forward in understanding how to manage the state's year-round fire season better.
“That's really exciting. I think, as we, you know, as we mourn the loss that happens with these large wildfires, they also have the potential to help us as we think about fighting future fires,” said Stevens-Rumann.
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