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Quaking aspen: Difference between revisions
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== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
The quaking aspen is the most widely distributed tree species in North America. Common characteristics include the trembling leaves and the white bark. Most aspens are clonal species that share a extensive root system and are genetically identical. They are resistant to fire and grow rapidly in areas devastated by forest fires. Quaking aspens are loved for their brilliant fall colors and beautiful appearance.[http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html] | |||
== Anatomy == | == Anatomy == | ||
Quaking aspens grow upright from 20-100 ft. tall with trunks 4-36 in. in diameter. The alternating, deciduous leaves are rounded and heartshaped with small grooves or teeth on the edges. The leaves rangin from 1.5-3 in. in length, [http://www.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Quacki1.htm] and tend to be dark-green ontop and lighter green beneath. In the fall, they turn yellow, orange, gold, or red. [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html] The leaf petiole is flattened and extends all the way to the tip of the leaf, allowing it to flutter or "quake" in the wind. [http://extension.usu.edu/range/Woody/quakingaspen.htm] | |||
[[Image:Aspen Leaves.jpg|center|150px|right|Heart-shaped aspen leaves flutter in the wind.]] | [[Image:Aspen Leaves.jpg|center|150px|right|Heart-shaped aspen leaves flutter in the wind.]] | ||
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== Ecology == | == Ecology == | ||
Quaking aspens grow in many types of soil, but prefer mineral-rich, moist soil. Over the years, they develop their own "aspen soil" from decayed leaves. Quaking aspens are extremely intolerant of any shade, requiring mass amounts of sunlight. They are usually replaced by hardwoods or conifers. They can tolerate colder temperatures, but do poorly in hotter climates. [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html] Aspens are most commonly found at elevations from 6,000 to 10,000 ft. They are also intolerant of soils that are water-logged and areas of long-term flooding. Quaking aspens are a perennial, native species that flower from April-June and fruit ripens May-July. [http://extension.usu.edu/range/Woody/quakingaspen.htm] | |||
Aspen stands provide ideal habitats for many organisms with a balanced amount of sunlight and shade. The forage beneath quaking aspens can be up to six times richer than that of a coniferous forest! Wildflowers, shrubs, small trees, and grasses thrive beneath aspen canopies. Quaking aspens are also important to around 500 species of organisms and animals. Leaves, bark, buds, and twigs are all food sources for bears, deer, elk, birds, and small rodents or mammals, especially in the winter months. Stands of aspens are a popular nesting places for birds, from cavity-nesters to ground nesters and canopy-nesters. [http://bss.sfsu.edu/geog/bholzman/courses/Fall99Projects/aspen.htm] Aspens are susceptible to rot-producing fungi such as Shoestring Root that travels through the extensive root system and Aspen Trunk Rot. Cankers, like Sooty Bark Canker, can also infect and even kill quaking aspens. Leaf rollers, Leaf Miner Beetle, and Western Tent Caterpillars are some of the many insects that prey on aspen trees. [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html] Grazing animals like deer eat young aspens and can damage saplings by rubbing antlers against the bark. Small mammals such as mice also harm quaking aspens by stripping off the lower bark of the tree. [http://www.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Quacki1.htm] | Aspen stands provide ideal habitats for many organisms with a balanced amount of sunlight and shade. The forage beneath quaking aspens can be up to six times richer than that of a coniferous forest! Wildflowers, shrubs, small trees, and grasses thrive beneath aspen canopies. Quaking aspens are also important to around 500 species of organisms and animals. Leaves, bark, buds, and twigs are all food sources for bears, deer, elk, birds, and small rodents or mammals, especially in the winter months. Stands of aspens are a popular nesting places for birds, from cavity-nesters to ground nesters and canopy-nesters. [http://bss.sfsu.edu/geog/bholzman/courses/Fall99Projects/aspen.htm] Aspens are susceptible to rot-producing fungi such as Shoestring Root that travels through the extensive root system and Aspen Trunk Rot. Cankers, like Sooty Bark Canker, can also infect and even kill quaking aspens. Leaf rollers, Leaf Miner Beetle, and Western Tent Caterpillars are some of the many insects that prey on aspen trees. [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html] Grazing animals like deer eat young aspens and can damage saplings by rubbing antlers against the bark. Small mammals such as mice also harm quaking aspens by stripping off the lower bark of the tree. [http://www.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Quacki1.htm] | ||
