Scattered among the aspen trees throughout the San Juan National Forest are records of a past way of life carved into the trunks of aspen trees. Historians and archaeologists call these "arborglyph"; (literally "tree writing") – pictorial and graphic imagery carved into the soft bark of aspens with thin, sharp knives. Over time, as the trees grew, these carvings developed into wide scars.
A group of interested citizens, the Ah Haa School, and Telluride Historical Museum have established a goal to locate and record as many arborglyphs as possible.