Paper short abstract:

A lake sediment record from Fish lake provides evidence of multiple disturbances throughout the core and were associated with an increase in aspen pollen. The increase in Populus has implications for contemporary management strategies with an adjacent aspen grove (Pando) today.

Paper long abstract:

Fish Lake’s location in central Utah at 8,848 feet above sea level offers a unique opportunity to study the impact of wildfires on high-elevation forested ecosystems in the Colorado Plateau region. A ~60,000-year lake sediment record from Fish lake provides evidence of multiple disturbances throughout the core (this paper specifically focusing on the largest fire episode found in the Holocene occurring around ~4681 cal yr BP) and were associated with an increase in aspen pollen within the Fish Lake record. The increase in Populus (aspen) pollen has implications for contemporary management practices strategies such as controlled burns with an adjacent aspen grove (Pando) today– which is on the decline, and could be considered as a way to maintain the long-term growth of aspen populations. This research is part of a larger project exploring climate, vegetation, and fire dynamics and aims to provide land managers with insights into the long-term role of disturbances in aspen forests and recommendations for future maintenance.