Trembling Aspen

Botanical Name: Populus Tremuloides
Other Names: quaking aspen
Family: Salicaceae Native to: Eastern North America, Interior North America, Western North America
Eco benefits: water filtration, erosion control, attracts birds
Natural habitat: barren or disturbed ground, inner forests, rocky slopes
Shapes: round
Height: 20-80ft
width: 20-30ft
Growth rate: medium
Lifespan: 30-50 years
Unique attractions: fall colour, bark
Common uses: reforestation
Light: full sun
Soil: moist and fertile, well drained, tolerates heavy clay, drought tolerant, ph adaptable

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The trembling aspen is a slender, medium sized tree common to forested areas across Ontario. The smooth, grayish-white bark (sometimes with tones of green or yellow) is a noteworthy attraction against darker wooded areas. The bark becoming rougher with age especially around the trunk base. Leaves can turn an impressive yellow, orange, or red in the fall. Their flattened leaf petioles cause them 'tremble' or 'quake' in the wind, hence its name.

Trembling aspen stands form some of the largest single organism biomass collections in the world. Its widespread, shallow root system can form massive colonies in disturbed areas where suckering occurs. New saplings come up to replace older trees of the colony when they die.

Like other poplars, trembling aspen is fast growing and weak wooded though the timber is useful for various products. It is also an important ecological forest tree as it provides habitat for many kinds of birds as well as large and small mammals.