San Juan Mountains
Quaking Aspens (Populus tremuloides) dominate a hillside below Red Mountain in the San Juan Mountains with stands of pine trees in a forest well into recovery from a fire. Because they grow from a root clone system, aspens are one of the first species to recover from a forest fire. These aspens relatively quickly providing shade for young pine saplings. Over time, the pine trees reclaim the forest as they grow larger and the aspens begin to receed. Photo © copyright by Chris Eaton.