Version 1
: Received: 12 June 2024 / Approved: 13 June 2024 / Online: 13 June 2024 (12:05:09 CEST)
How to cite:
Corkery, G.; Miller, A. B.; Rogers, P. C. Quaking Aspen in A High-Use Recreation Area: Challenges of People, Ungulates, and Sodium on Landscape Resilience. Preprints2024, 2024060914. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0914.v1
Corkery, G.; Miller, A. B.; Rogers, P. C. Quaking Aspen in A High-Use Recreation Area: Challenges of People, Ungulates, and Sodium on Landscape Resilience. Preprints 2024, 2024060914. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0914.v1
Corkery, G.; Miller, A. B.; Rogers, P. C. Quaking Aspen in A High-Use Recreation Area: Challenges of People, Ungulates, and Sodium on Landscape Resilience. Preprints2024, 2024060914. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0914.v1
APA Style
Corkery, G., Miller, A. B., & Rogers, P. C. (2024). Quaking Aspen in A High-Use Recreation Area: Challenges of People, Ungulates, and Sodium on Landscape Resilience. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0914.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Corkery, G., Anna B. Miller and Paul C. Rogers. 2024 "Quaking Aspen in A High-Use Recreation Area: Challenges of People, Ungulates, and Sodium on Landscape Resilience" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.0914.v1
Abstract
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) landscapes are valued for their biodiversity, water retention, fire mitigation, aesthetics, and recreation opportunities. Across North America, some aspen populations are experiencing population declines as they face uninhibited ungulate browsing, drought, fire suppression, insects, disease, and inappropriate management. Increased human development and recreational use within aspen landscapes can serve as additive stressors, though there is a dearth of literature examining these elements. At a popular recreational area in Utah, USA, identifying the cause of apparent decline within a larger aspen community is complicated by development upstream and recreation-related activities. We sought to: 1) assess the overall condition of the aspen at the site, 2) understand key variables that influence aspen conditions, and 3) elucidate how aspen fitness varies across the site. We collected data from forty-five plots using established aspen sampling methods, including ungulate presence, tree characteristics, soil chemistry, and environmental descriptors. Results suggest that a combination of higher levels of browsing and elevated soil sodium may be causing premature mortality and limiting aspen recruitment in a portion of the study area. These findings will inform future management at this site, as well as similar recreational forest settings experiencing compound stressors.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
