They reach up to 25 meters with their trunk being approximately 60 cm in diameter. They have barks of hues ranging from green, grey, and white, and are smooth in most of the areas, except the basal part which is a bit rough.
Cottonwood and Balsam Poplar
It is common for people in interior Alaska and corresponding areas of northwestern Canada to use the name cottonwood when referring to one widespread variety of deciduous tree. But since cottonwoods do not grow in Alaska except on the southern and southeastern coast, the terminology obviously is wrong.
The error is a small one in one sense because the tree referred to, balsam poplar, is practically indistinguishable from its close relative, the black cottonwood. Balsam poplar is the most widespread broadleaf tree in Alaska; it ranges even farther north and west than another close relative, the quaking aspen.
Close up, it is easy to distinguish between balsam poplar and quaking aspen from the leaves and, to a lesser extent, by the branching structure. Where they appear in mixed stands, the poplar sometimes has small, leafed branches lower down on the trunk. Aspen leaves are nearly round, one to two inches across, shiny green above and pale beneath. Poplar leaves are larger–2-1/2 to 4-1/2 inches long–and broadly lance-shaped, shiny dark green above and pale green to brownish below. The cottonwood leaf is very similar to the poplar.
If you see a cottonwood tree in interior Alaska, you can be sure it’s a balsam poplar, but in southern Alaska it could be either. In areas such as the lower Susitna Valley, near Anchorage, the trees themselves apparently do not know the difference, because they interbreed to produce hybrids. Once in a great while, a poplar goes out on a limb and even hybridizes with an aspen. Only the experts can identify the end product.
Both poplar and cottonwood grow well in river bottoms and sand bars. While poplar may grow to 100 feet high and two feet across, cottonwood can reach to 125 feet and be much larger in diameter. Cottonwoods three feet in diameter at breast height are common. To avoid both bending over and the flare near the tree stumps, foresters measure the tree diameters at breast height, hence the term breast height diameter.
One giant cottonwood near Klukwan, not far from Skagway and Haines, has breast height diameter just over ten feet. The Klukwan giant holds the national record for black cottonwood diameter. Its nearest rival, a tree near Salem, Oregon, does hold the national height record. The Klukwan giant belies the belief that trees tend to get smaller the farther north one goes.
Both balsam poplar and cottonwood have value for fuel wood, pulp and lumber. The large cottonwood stands in the lower Susitna Valley are considered to have the highest potential for economic development of any stands in the valley, though the volume of both white spruce and birch there is somewhat larger. The best cottonwood stands in the Susitna Valley contain as much as 34,000 board feet of lumber per acre. Whereas balsam poplar has somewhat limited use for lumber, black cottonwood has higher strength and is, therefore, superior.
Persons wishing to learn more about Alaska’s trees will be interested in a low-cost but comprehensive book by Leslie A. Viereck and Elbert L. Little, Jr. entitled Alaska Trees and Shrubs. It is published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
What Do Aspen Trees Look Like?
They are stunning trees and will make anyone stop and admire their beauty. They grow up to 40 to 60 feet in size. The tree has a rounded canopy over a width of 30 feet. They are large trees and are distinguished by their tree leaves, bark, and flowers.
Leaves- The foliage of an aspen tree consist of long stems along with a round shape. They move in light wind because of their size.
Bark- Aspen tree’s bark can be furrowed and rough with a gray shade, on the bigger sized specimens. The majority of the trees also develop a bark with a whitish and greenish color. The thin bark contains several black bumpy patches.
Flowers- The huge bloom of aspens contains many tiny little seeds with small hairs. They blossom around March and April before the leaves start to appear.
If you’d like to see how Aspen tree compares to Birch trees; skip here!
Types of Aspen Trees
Aspen trees are glorious species. However, all types of aspens are not suitable for landscaping at home. The ideal ones are the Quaking Aspen tree (Populus tremuloides) and Aspen Clumps.
Other kinds include Korean Aspen (Populus davidiana), Common/European Aspen (Populus tremula), Bigtooth Aspen (Populus grandidentata), Japanese Aspen (Populus sieboldii), and Chinese Aspen (Populus adenopoda).
Quaking Aspen
The name for the quaking aspen came from the sounds of its leaves, which make a crackling or quaking noise when the wind blows.
Its scientific name Populus tremuloides originates from Latin, as populus means people, and the leaves of the trees bear a resemblance to a busy crowd.
The Quaking aspen or Trembling aspen heightens the beauty of any landscape with its textured white bard and bright foliage. Quaking aspen is considered an ornamental and low-maintenance tree.
It grows fast and thrives in a variety of environmental conditions. However, you will struggle to remove unwanted sprouts from the Quaking aspen tree.
Korean Aspen
They reach up to 25 meters with their trunk being approximately 60 cm in diameter. They have barks of hues ranging from green, grey, and white, and are smooth in most of the areas, except the basal part which is a bit rough.
Their barks are mostly of a lighter color and their branches are of darker shades, such as brown or red. Korean aspens have sharp-edged, traditional triangular, kind of toothed leaves, which becomes their distinguishing factor.
European Aspen
European Aspens cover a wide area in distribution, as they can be found in the Arctic region as well as northern Africa, Western Europe, and Japan.
Much like the quaking aspen, they have round-shaped leaves with edgy margins that flutter in the wind. Their fall foliage consists of copperish brown shades in springtime and gets green or yellow in autumn.
SEE ALSO Pollination: Definition, Benefits, Examples
Japanese Aspen
These trees are particularly found in Japan’s mountains and grow in damp and heavy soil. They do not grow well in upland regions.
They have many uses. Their shoots’ extracts are used for cuttings. The wood is woolly and soft and odorless, also having low flammability.
Chinese Aspen
They are native to China where they are found in abundance. They can reach up to 30 meters at most of their locations, which mostly include mountain slopes.
The trees have many uses, such as supplying wood for furniture and construction purposes. The timber of Chinese aspen is also used.
Bigtooth Aspen
These trees are limited in growth as compared to other trees. They are mostly found in northern parts of America and southeastern parts of Canada.
They prefer sandy soil and grow well in flooded plains. Their wood is fine-grained and soft in texture. It is used for making chopsticks, cricket bats, log homes, and ladders.
Aspen Trees: Largest Living Organism
Aspen trees have a number of unique characteristics that separate them from other native trees of the U.S.
As if these qualities were not enough, it also holds the title of the largest living organism.
Forget sequoias and whales, evergreen aspens can top them too. They grow up in stands known as clones or groves of aspen. The aspen grove reproduces through shifting up sprouts from the roots. They have their primary life force beneath the ground in a comprehensive system. The aspen’s root connects all of the trees in an aspen clone.
The root system grows at a distance of 40 feet from the parent tree. Their roots search for water resources and can sometimes crumble sidewalks and infiltrate septic systems and sewers.
Prior to the appearance of the aspen tree trunk on the surface, the roots remain stagnant for several years until the ideal conditions are not met. This also includes ample sunlight and exposure to the sun.
In an individual stand, every tree is similar to the other. Hence, it is called a clone of aspens to identify a single stand. A clone found in Utah contained over 47,000 stems and weighed approximately 6 million kilograms.
It is five times heavier than the world’s largest tree General Sherman which weighs over 1.2 million kilograms. Aspen trees live a dramatic and fast life. For a single aspen tree to be considered old, they have to be around a hundred years old.
However, the trees don’t live long on their own as compared to the massive clones, which can live up to thousands of years. When a tree from a clone dies, it is gradually replaced with a newly grown one.
The oldest clones in Minnesota date back to 8000 years and are one of the oldest organisms on the planet.
