The U.S. Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service and organizations like Leave No Trace discourage people from carving into aspen trees because the bark serves a similar purpose as skin.

Dan West, Colorado State Forest Service entomologist based in Fort Collins, said that combination gives a gold light to aspen viewing. "It's setting up about perfect for aspen viewing," he told ...

Aspen leaves turn golden yellow, orange and red in the fall, and they account for 20% of the state's forests, so Coloradans can expect to see plenty of those colors as fall foliage peaks this season.