Aspen restoration in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon

In the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon, quaking aspen is on the western fringe of its range. It exists as small, scattered, remnant stands of rapidly declining trees. Although little is known about the historic distribution of aspen in Oregon, it is believed that stands were once larger and more widely distributed. Decline of the species is attributed to fire suppression and browsing pressure from large ungulates. A landscape approach to restoring aspen is taken using a variety of techniques. Among these are construction of large herbivore exclosures, prescribed fire, establishment of new aspen stands using containerized planting stock, simulation of natural refugia, and use of genetic variation data to guide management decisions. Questions are-raised on the social and economic costs of recovery efforts.