Aspen, Cottonwood and Poplars

Populus genus

Aspen is a common species name for five trees as well as white poplars.

• The five typical aspens are all usually found and grown in cold regions with cool summers in the north.

• The White Poplar grows in warm, hot, and dry summer regions.

• Aspens can be found in Korea, China, northwest Africa, southern Europe, and eastern North America. 

• Each tree can live up to 40-150 years above ground with an incredibly strong root system that outlives the tree and actually sprouts new trees from the roots and as such can survive forest fires.

• These trees are all medium-sized deciduous trees ranging 49–98 ft tall (15–30 meters)

• Aspen wood is white, soft, and fairly strong. It possesses low flammability and is used to make matches, paper, and package stuffing. It’s also generally used and is safe as pet bedding.

• Vincent’s Forester Fun Fact: A colony of American Aspen nicknamed “Pando” in Utah is theorized to have lived 80,000 years due to the vastness of its root system and growth. The roots’ weight alone would be over 6,000 tons.