This abstract is for the Poster Fair. Fire Conference 2002: Managing Fire and Fuels in the Remaining Wildlands and Open Spaces of the Southwestern United States, 2-5 December 2002, San Diego, California.

Over the past decade, the Fishlake National Forest, in south-central Utah, has been working to stem the tide of aspen (Populus tremuloides) decline by treating declining aspen stands for restoration. During the summer of 2001 (June - October), thirty-three sites were surveyed to monitor the success of aspen regeneration following a variety of treatments including wildland fire, clearcutting for aspen regeneration, and clearcutting followed by prescribed fire. All clearcut sites that were monitored had some type of fencing erected to provide study controls. Additionally, densities of both wild and domestic ungulates were determined. In most cases, sites fenced to preclude all cattle and wildlife browsing produced the greatest number of aspen suckers compared to adjacent, unfenced or cattle-excluded sites. Of the thirty-three sites surveyed, only one, which initially produced over 10,000 stems per acre, was so heavily utilized that aspen regeneration was negligible. In addition to sufficient densities, it is also important for the terminal shoots of the young aspen to grow beyond the reach of browsing ungulates before treatments can be deemed successful. Further analysis showed that even under low densities of elk, deer and cattle, their cumulative utilization may ultimately doom restoration efforts to failure unless of relief from excessive browsing can be guaranteed.

¹ Ecologist (Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)), and Master of Arts student at Brandeis University in Sustainable International Development.
² Forest Ecologist, USDA Forest Service, Fishlake National Forest, 115 East 900 North, Richfield, Utah 84701.
³ Project Leader, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 860 North 1200 East, Logan, Utah 84321.