What is it about the aspen tree that captures our imagination? The pleasant sound and sight of quaking leaves? Maybe aspen trees remind us of favorite mountain retreats? Perhaps it’s the fact that many aspen “groves” are really a single organism, sharing a massive root system. One such aspen, Pando, is one of the world’s oldest living organisms and lives in Fishlake National Forest in Utah. School children from Monroe have proposed that the aspen be named Utah’s state tree. Today on Access Utah we’ll explore all things aspen, from the scientific to the metaphorical.
We’ll talk with Paul Rogers, director of USU’s Western Aspen Alliance; and Utah resident, Paul Sullivan, who has created, in his book “Aspen’s Roots,” an allegory to help his grandchildren and other children connect to the strength of past generations.