Quaking aspen reproduce from seed after wildfire in the mountains of southeastern Arizona

Quaking aspen regenerated from seed after a stand replacement wildfire in t he Chiricahua Mountains of south eastern Arizona. The wildfire had created gaps in the canopy so that aspen were able to establish from seed. Seedling s were found at a mean density of 0.17 m(-2), 30 m or more from the nearest potential seed trees. Six clumps of aspen seedlings contained 18-186 trees , occupying areas of 145-500 square meters at densities of 0.09-0.27 m(-2). White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsed 74.3% of the seedlings. Occasional sexual reproduction of aspen maybe a general trait of the speci es throughout the western portion of its range in North America.