Quaking+Aspen


 * Quaking Aspen**
 * Description:** The Quaking Aspen is part of the willow family. It is a native tree that grows 15 to 30 meters, but usually is less than 15 meters with a rounded crown. It has lateral roots that can extend over 30 meters, and vertical sinker roots from the lateral roots that can grow 3 meters downward. The bark is a green-white, or a gray-white, and is typically smooth. The Aspen is often thin and peeling, becoming thicker and furrowed, especially at the base, with age. The leaves are simple, and nearly round growing 4 to 6 centimeters. The leaves are dark green and shiny on top, pale green on the bottom, and turn bright yellow, yellow-orange, gold, or reddish after the first frost. These leaves also have small rounded teeth on the margins.


 * Habitat:** The Quaking Aspen occurs in a wide variety of habitats, including soil type and moister conditions, and at a great range of elevation, matching its extensive geographical range. It characteristically forms pure stands or mixed stands with big tooth aspen, but occurs with scrub oaks and sagebrush at lower elevations and as a prostrate form above timberline and exists as a dominant species in many communities at mid elevation. It is a shade intolerant, disturbed site species and is quickly replaced by more tolerant species.


 * Range:** The Quaking Aspen is the most widely distributed tree species in North America. It grows from Alaska across the Northwest Territories to Quebec and Newfoundland, South to West Virginia and Virginia, and all of the Western North America US states, except Oklahoma and Kansas. It occurs in both the eastern and western sierras of Mexico, into the south-central part of the country.


 * Ecological Interactions:** The quaking aspen provides food and habitat for a variety of wildlife including black bear, deer, beaver, porcupine, elk, moose, ruffed grouse and many smaller birds and animals including mammals such as mice, voles shrews, chipmunks and rabbits. Bark, buds, new sprouts, twigs from all the tops of fallen or logged trees, and fallen leaves all are wildlife foods.

Sources

[|http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov] http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/intranet/pfs.html [|http://npdc.usda.gov] http://www.aginfonet.com/agricarta/content/farm_woodlot_assoc_of_sask/aspen.html http://willow.ncfes.umn.udu/silvics_manual/Volume_2/populus/tremuloides.htm http://www.ann.com.au/herbs/Monographs/populus.htm http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/delaware/atlas/ http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/poptre/ http://www.dced.state.ak.us/econdev/tree5.htm