quaking aspen or Poplar (Populus tremuloides)

How big are quaking aspen?
Quaking aspen can grow to be over 80 feet tall and 16 inches in diameter.

How long do quaking aspen live?
Quaking aspen usually live about 80 years.

What do their leaves look like?
Their leaves are broadly oval and 1 to 2 1/2 inches long. They have an uneven tooth-like edge around the leaves. They loose their leaves in the fall and grow new ones in the spring.

What does their bark look like?
Their bark is smooth with a light green to white color when they are young. As they age their bark becomes darker with dark rough ridges and diamond shaped patterns.

Where do quaking aspen live?
Quaking aspen can live in many different habitats. They are a very fast growing tree and often grow in areas that have recently been disturbed by logging, fires, or other things that cause openings in the forest for light hungry, fast growing plants. Quaking aspen can produce clones which are genetically the same as their parents. These clones grow out of the roots of their parent tree. Often the trees covering several acres are all genetically the same because they came from clones off the same tree. Clones of 50,000 trees covering over 200 acres have been found! However, most of the ones in the border country are an acre or less. The oldest one in Minnesota is over 8,000 years old!

What are some other cool fact about quaking aspen?
Quaking aspen are found farther north than most other deciduous trees. The thicker, whiter, bark on the south side of a quaking aspen helps protect it from the freezing and thawing that occur in winter in the far north. There are also over 300 types of insects that eat different parts of quaking aspen. Black bears also like to eat the new leaves off quaking aspens after they wake up from months of hibernation.