Bigtooth Aspen roots are deeper in the soil than Quaking Aspen roots, making root damage from fire highly unlikely. Roots are stimulated to sprout if the soil is heated. The soil is heated not only by the fire, but also by blackening of the soil surface and removal of overstory and duff. Density and growth of suckers is dependent in part on fire severity. A low-severity fire that does not kill all of the overstory does not result in suckers as dense or vigorous as those produced after a moderate severity fire.
Fire also prepares a favorable seedbed.
Seeds from off-site sources may blow onto burned sites and establish if there is sufficient moisture and if the competition is not severe. Most shrub species in the understory of aspen forests are able to sprout after fire, as are many hardwood associates. Beaver eat bark, leaves, twigs, and branches. By cutting trees and damming waterways, beaver can destroy large aspen stands. Approximately 116 nongame bird species breed in aspen-birch forests.