Week 11- Draft 5

Under the control situation for the experiment in question, where the aspen population was not thinned by the experimenters, mortality rates for both aspens and firs both remained at approximately 5% mortality. In the experimental scenario where aspen tree populations were reduced aspen mortality remained around an approximate 5% mortality rate while fir trees saw a massive increase in mortality rate, with a rate of approximately 22%. This increase in mortality for firs most likely occurs as aspens initiate the earliest stage of secondary succession in open meadows created by fire or deforestation, which in turn allow for firs to grow. Thus, when aspen density is reduced by experimental thinning firs are unable to grow successfully, increasing mortality significantly.