Fall Colors and Managing Aspens

Did you know that aspens live different amounts of time at different elevations? At our elevation here in Boulder, about 5,500 feet they only live about 20-25 years! Up higher they can live much longer. Aspens are also one of the largest organisms on the planet. This is because they reproduce asexually by putting up shoots. So when you go in the mountains and you see a whole forest of aspens you are actually just seeing one tree! Unfortunately for us, their short life spans at our elevation means that I have to take a lot of dead aspens out. They aren't usually very expensive to remove. Most average sized aspens that don't have any complications such as being over a house, or being very dead, can be removed for between $400-$600. However, don't let dead aspens sit for too long! They don't have very strong wood to begin with and once they have been dead for a few years they become unsafe to climb and therefore much more difficult to remove and much more costly!