Aspen trees

An aspen tree in autumn colors on the San Fransisco Peaks.

Study: Aspens are struggling. Elk hunting can help.

Melissa Sevigny

A new study of aspens on the San Francisco Peaks shows they’re struggling to grow to full-sized trees. But Northern Arizona University forest ecologist Mike Stoddard has a surprising solution: asking hunters to help.

Tiny invasive insects known as oystershell scale, also known as mussel scale, are increasingly being seen in northern Arizona. They can potentially kill trees and other plant life and represent a major threat to the region's quaking aspen groves. This photo was taken during a collaborative field trip with the Northern Arizona University School of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service on Dec. 7, 2021.

KNAU and Arizona News

Invasive oystershell scale is threatening northern Arizona’s aspen groves

Ryan Heinsius

Foresters are aggressively trying to understand the effects of an invasive insect known as oystershell scale that’s expanded at an alarming rate in recent years and is threatening northern Arizona's iconic quaking aspen groves.

KNAU and Arizona News

U.S. Forest Service, NAU To Treat And Study Insects That Threaten Aspen Stands

The Kaibab National Forest is joining Northern Arizona University and the Arizona Elk Society to spray treat aspen stands infested with a tiny insect that…