Aspen Tree: Description, Characteristics, and How It Reproduces

The aspen is one of the most widespread trees in the world, reaching up to 35 metres in height and around one metre in diameter.

What are the defining features of the aspen?

The aspen is a classic pioneer species: it grows quickly, loves light, and is unafraid of frost. Wherever a fire sweeps through or an area is cleared, the aspen is quick to move in. Before long a clearing fills with young aspen growth, forming a thicket so dense it can be almost impossible to push through.

How does the aspen reproduce?

Aspen reproduces not only — and not even mainly — through the seeds it scatters abundantly every year, but largely through root suckers. Unlike oak, lime, or maple, it does not produce stump shoots. This habit has puzzled foresters more than once. On one occasion a centuries-old spruce forest, where aspen was nowhere to be found, was felled. As a light-loving species, the aspen had no business growing there.

And yet, on the very site of the former spruce forest, aspen suddenly appeared in a solid stand. Where had it come from? Foresters concluded that a couple of centuries earlier aspen had grown on that spot, only to be crowded out by the more shade-tolerant spruce — but the aspen roots had remained. From those roots, they reasoned, the new aspen had sprung. They thus concluded that aspen roots could lie dormant in the soil for centuries without harm, waiting for the right moment.

This explanation, however, was wrong: the roots would surely have rotted away over such a span. The riddle was solved by the forester M. Turskiy. The aspen roots did indeed remain in the ground, but each year they put up small suckers which, after a brief existence, died back. They could not become trees, because there was not enough light beneath the spruce canopy. The suckers appeared and died, appeared and died again.

Yet this short, seemingly pointless life of the suckers was exactly what kept the roots alive. Then came the light — the spruce forest was felled, and the aspen suckers surged powerfully into growth. As has been demonstrated time and again, everything in nature is arranged with purpose and wisdom.

Why is the aspen called a weed species?

The aspen's hardiness has often frustrated foresters. They would plan to raise a valuable species, only to be confronted by the aspen with its rapid growth and love of light. Waiting for it to thin out, and for a shade-tolerant spruce or oak to settle beneath its canopy, takes a very long time. Precisely because of this knack for seizing ground that was not meant for it, the aspen earned the nickname "weed species."

How is aspen used in the timber industry?

Aspen is not especially popular with timber producers, because its wood is soft and deteriorates quickly. Even so, the species attracts close attention. A short-lived material? Consider the famous Kizhi, that fairy-tale wooden townscape! This magnificent monument of world architecture has stood for many years — and the domes of its cathedrals are made of aspen.

Despite its wide range and fame, the aspen is not a tree in its own right but one of the poplars — the trembling poplar (Populus tremula). Its lifespan is around 80 to 100 years. Aspen wood is also used as the raw material for making matches. These characteristics together give a clear picture of the species.

If you would like to learn how to draw an aspen in pencil, you can find guidance in the article "How to draw trees in pencil".