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Threatened: Chestnut 2022:
The American Chestnut was one of the most important forest trees in this country. The species was devastated by the chestnut blight, a fungal disease that came from Chinese Chestnut trees introduced into America from East Asia. It is estimated that between 3 and 4 billion trees were destroyed in the first 1/2 of the 20th century after the blight was discovered in 1904.

Threatened: Aspen 2022:
The Aspen groves throughout the west are undergoing a sharp decline due to drought, tiny insects called oystershell scale, cattle and sheep grazing, as well as being eaten by elk and deer. Aspen stands are considered a single organism. Each tree is a genetic replica of another. Aspens are older than Sequoias and Bristlecone Pines.The oldest known grove is 80,000 years old and is located in Utah’s Fish Lake National Forest. If trees are wiped out, it is difficult to kill the extensive root system due to the rapid rate it reproduces underground. Perhaps when conditions are right, groves will be able to regenerate, but that is not known.

Threatened: Cottonwood 2022:
Salt Cedar (tamarisk) poses a threat to many native species such as Cottonwoods.images of both tees are combined in one video on one of the monitors). Salt Cedar is native to Eurasia. It was introduced into the US as an ornamental plant in the 1800. It was also planted as a windbreak during the dust bowl. It escaped cultivation and has proliferated since that time by establishing itself in the western US. A single Salt Cedar tree uses up to 200 gallons of water a day posing a threat to native plant species such as willows and Cottonwoods. Not only do these trees lower the water table due to their insatiable thirst, but also create large deposits of salt in the soil which is detrimental to many native plants.


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