Aspen Forest and Parkland - Code: Ne3E

Occurring in the mountainous West and throughout the boreal zone, aspen forest and parkland provides a welcome bit of variety within vast conifer-dominated areas. Aspen habitat has high biological productivity compared to surrounding areas and in summer is teeming with life. In the fall, aspen forest is clearly visible as a golden blaze amid a sea of dark green. As the name would suggest, aspen forest and parkland is dominated by the Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides), with few other tree species present. Dense, often uniform-age stands of aspen grow to a height of 30–70 ft. (10–22m). In the mountainous West, firs (Abies spp.), spruces (Picea spp.), and Douglas-fir (Pseudtsuga menzeisii) co-occur and if undisturbed will eventually replace the short-lived and shade-averse aspen. In the aspen forest and parkland of the n. Great Plains and the sub-boreal zone, Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa), Paper Birch (Betula papyifera), Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera), and Red Maple (Acer rubrum) are notable co-occurring canopy trees. 
Aspen forest and parkland has an open canopy that allows for a diverse and lush understory of shrubs, grasses, and forbs. This habitat’s association with high disturbance and grassland transitional zones means that small meadows and glades are an important component. Standing patiently along the edge of these glades can be an excellent strategy for wildlife-watching. 
This habitat forms most commonly in areas of major disturbance—fire, landslide, avalanche, windthrows, and insect kills—or in transitional zones between grassland and forest. In areas with frequent disturbance, Quaking Aspen is destroyed aboveground but quickly regenerates clonal colonies spread through it roots. Individual sprouts from these colonies are called ramets or suckers. One such colony in Utah, known as Pando, weighs 13 million lb. (6 million kg) and is an estimated 80,000 years old—making it a contender for the planet’s heaviest and oldest organism.