"The restoration of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park has helped revive an aspen tree population unique to the region, a new study has found.

Quaking aspen, one of the few deciduous tree species in the northern Rocky Mountain ecosystem, is once again thriving, after suffering severe decline during the 20th century, according to the study, published on Tuesday in Forest Ecology and Management.

“This is a remarkable case of ecological restoration,” lead author, Luke Painter, who teaches ecology and conservation at Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement.

The decline in aspen growth occurred in tandem with a surge in Rocky Mountain elk, which had lost a key predator following the elimination of wolves from the region by 1930.

Elk and other voracious herbivores, the study authors explained, partake in intensive “browsing” — or consumption of high-growing plants like leaves, soft shoots and shrubs."

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill July 22, 2025. [2]