| ABOUT |
"Aspens are trees of the willow family and comprise a section of the poplar genus, Populus sect. Populus. There are six species in the section, one of them atypical, and one hybrid:
Common Names: trembling aspen, golden aspen, quiver-leaf aspen, small-toothed aspen, Canadian aspen, quakie, popple Habitat: Aspen trees occupy pure stands on sandy gravelly slopes, the only transcontinental broadleaf tree growing from Newfoundland to California and Mexico. It is often associated with Douglas fir. An aspen tree is a pioneer tree after fires and logging, the most wind-sensitive leaf of any broadleaf species. Description: The circular to triangular leaves gives this species its name, each leaf trembling in the slightest breeze at the end of a long, flattened stem. The thin, damage-prone bark is light green and smooth with bands of warty bumps. Uses: furniture parts, matches, boxes, pulp - wikipedia | LEAVES |
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"Aspens (apart from the aberrant White Poplar) are distinguished by their nearly round leaves on mature trees, 9–16 cm diameter with irregular rounded teeth. They are carried on strongly flattened leaf stems, which enable the leaves to twist and flutter in the slightest of breezes. The juvenile leaves on young seedlings and root sprouts differ markedly from the adult leaves, nearly triangular, showing here the typical leaf shape of most other poplars; they are also often much larger, 13–26 cm long. The five typical aspens are distinguished from each other by leaf size and the size and spacing of the teeth on the adult leaves. White Poplar leaves differ in being deeply five-lobed, covered in thick white down, and having only a slightly flattened leaf stem." - wikipedia | HABITAT AND LONGEVITY |
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"The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the far north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south only at high altitudes in mountains. The White Poplar by contrast is native to much warmer regions, with hot, dry summers. They are all medium-sized deciduous trees reaching 15–25 m tall, exceptionally to 30 m.
All the aspens (including White Poplar) typically grow in large colonies derived from a single seedling, and spreading by means of root suckers; new stems in the colony may appear at up to 30–40 m from the parent tree. Each tree only lives for 40–150 years above ground, but the root system of the colony is long-lived, in some cases for many thousands of years, sending up new trunks as the older trunks die off above ground. For this reason it is considered to be an indicator of ancient woodlands. One such colony in Utah, given the nickname of "Pando", is claimed to be 80,000 years old, making it possibly the oldest living colony. Some aspen colonies become very large with time, spreading about a metre per year, eventually covering many hectares. They are able to survive intense forest fires as the roots are below the heat of the fire, with new sprouts growing after the fire is out. However, aspens do not thrive very well in the shade, and it is difficult for aspen seedlings to grow in an already mature aspen stand. Fire indirectly benefits aspen trees, as it allows the saplings to flourish in open sunlight on account of the burned landscape. Lately aspen has increased its popularity in forestry, mostly because of its fast growth rate and ability to regenerate from sprouts, which makes the regeneration of the forest after harvesting much cheaper, as no planting or sowing is required. In contrast with many trees, aspen bark is base-rich, meaning that aspens are important hosts for bryophytes and act as food plants for the larvae of Lepidoptera species—see List of Lepidoptera that feed on poplars." - wikipedia |
| WHY DO THE LEAVES QUAKE? |
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"The unusual ability of the leaves of Populus to twist and bend due to the flattened petioles may not be fully understood. It is thought to help protect the trees from severe winds, perhaps by helping dissipate energy more uniformly throughout the canopy. It is also thought to improve the rate of photosynthesis throughout the tree by reducing the exposure of the outer leaves to extreme sunlight (thus reducing photoinhibition) by presenting the leaves at an oblique angle to the sun throughout the day, while at the same time allowing more light through to the lower leaves which are generally overshaded. This would enable leaves throughout the tree to photosynthesize more efficiently."
- wikipedia | CULTURAL ASPECTS AND USES |
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"The aspen tree's quivering leaves are, in Christian lore, said to be the result of arrogance at the Crucifixion because the aspen did not tremble like other trees. A German version claims that the aspen was the only tree to refuse to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus. The cross that Christ was crucified on is sometimes said to have been aspen wood. As aspens do not occur in Palestine, this legend is improbable[citation needed]. Another old saying was that aspen leaves are made from female tongues, and their quivering is due to women's inability to stop talking[citation needed].
Emigrant Basque shepherds in the 19th and 20th century carved texts and figures on aspens of the American Southwest to express their loneliness. The wood is white, and soft, but fairly strong, and with very low flammability. It has a number of uses, notably for making matches, where its low flammability makes it safer to use (easy to blow out) than most other woods. Shredded aspen wood is also a popular animal bedding, as it lacks the phenols associated with pine and juniper, which are thought to cause respiratory ailments in some animals. Heat treated aspen is a popular material for the interiors of a sauna. Aspen stakes often figure in Slavic folklore, where they are held to be able to vanquish witches." - wikipedia | NATURAL RANGE |
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"Aspen trees grow singly and in multi-stemmed clones over the widest distribution of any native tree species in North America. The aspen tree range extends from Newfoundland and Labrador west across Canada along the northern limit of trees to northwestern Alaska, and southeast through Yukon and British Columbia. Throughout the Western United States it is mostly in the mountains from Washington to California, southern Arizona, Trans-Pecos Texas, and northern Nebraska. From Iowa and eastern Missouri it ranges east to West Virginia, western Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Quaking aspen is also found in the mountains of Mexico, as far south as Guanajuato. Worldwide, only Populus tremula, European aspen, and Pinus sylvestris, Scotch pine, have wider natural ranges." - wikipedia | SILVICULTURE AND MANAGEMENT |
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"an aspen tree is born of fire, landslide, and disaster. It colonizes disturbed areas, massing at the sunny edges of forests and meadows, where its white bark and gentile grace makes it one of our most highly sought trees for nature photography. It is a montane species in the West, a tree of moist sandy soils in the East and the arboreal emblem in the boreal province of the Yukon... Most individual aspen trees are tall, slender, graceful trees, not known for their massive proportions. Their bark color and branching pattern contribute to the illusion of small size, but aspens can become large on favorable terrain. The largest known quaking aspen is in Ontonagon County at the western end of upper Michigan. It is 109 feet (32.7m) tall and more than 3 feet (.09m) in diameter... Aspen tree seed is difficult to deal with because of its small size and perishable nature. Any damage incurred by establishing aspen trees during transplanting will doom the trees to cankers, insect attack, bark blemishes, and premature death, so aspens are best established from root cuttings set directly into the permanent planting location." - wikipedia | INSECTS AND DISEASES |
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"Aspen trees are affected by numerous insects, diseases and cultural problems. While there are plenty of good-looking aspen around the region, it also is the most common problem tree discussed in calls or samples brought to Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Plant Diagnostic Clinic... Aspen trees are short-lived trees, as expected from their role in forest ecology. In the urban landscape, even properly cared-for aspen may not reach 20 years. Life spans can be shortened further by one or more of several insects or diseases that attack aspen. Fungal diseases, such as Cytospora or other cankers which attack the trunk, are common, as are diseases of the foliage such as rusts, or leaf spots. Of the many insects that attack urban plantings of aspen, oystershell scale, aphids and aspen twiggall fly are most prevalent." Remember that aspens are very sensitive to many environmental problems and are host to more than five hundred species of parasites, berbivores, diseases, and other harmfull agents. Aspen has been a disapointment to many when planted in the landscape." - wikipedia | FANLISTINGS |
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