PLANTING
YOUR ASPEN SHOOTS
Each year
since the fall of 2004,
Trees
for Mt. Lemmon has conducted an aspen harvest for Mt.
Lemmon
homeowners from dormant aspens donated by the Forest Service.
Steve Hensel, with the U S Forest Service, has
provided
homeowners with information and guidance in harvesting the aspen.
The following information includes how aspens grow in our
area,
when the harvest occurs, how to prepare, and how to care for the aspen
harvested in this manner.
When to harvest:
The aspens are harvested in November after they have gone
dormant.
Aspens propagate by shoots that arise from the roots of
mature aspen trees.
How to prepare:
Because the aspen shoots are harvested in November, a
relatively
dry time, it is critical that they be planted immediately to prevent
dessication of the root hairs. Before attending the harvest,
plan
for where you want the trees, then dig holes 18" X 18". The
best place to plant an aspen is usually on a north facing slope.
When you
harvest the shoots, have plastic bags ready to put them in.
If
the ground is dry, you will not get much soil around the roots, and it
is essential to protect the moisture around the root as much as
possible. Carefully place the aspen shoot in its hole,
situating
the roots out and down into the prepared hole. To fill in the
hole, use top soil, not potting
soil, and cover the roots gently and completely.
The shoots will need to be watered weekly until snow falls.
Our native Aspen -
History and Ecology:
Since the 2003 Aspen Fire, one of the first trees to spread
green
across Carter Canyon and other burn areas is the Quaking Aspen.
This lovely tree is one of the most common of all North
American
trees, and it's found from Newfoundland throughout eastern states such
as Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio to the western states of Colorado,
Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, California and down to Mexico.
The
Quaking Aspen, Populus
tremuloides, from
the Latin, literally means "shaking, trembling, quivering poplar." It's
a native deciduous tree that grows from 20'-100' and develops a
straight trunk anywhere from 4"-36" in diameter. The branches
spread up and out, forming a rounded crown. The aspen's bark
is
yellowish-white to a very light green, and the root system is entensive
and can spread laterally over large areas, sometimes as much as 100'.
The
beautiful fall foliage of the
Quaking Aspen creates memorable sights, especially welcome on Mt.
Lemmon after the Aspen Fire. "...an aspen tree is born of
fire,
landslide, and disaster. It colonizes disburbed areas,
massing at
the sunny edges of forests and meadows, where its white bark and
gentile grace makes it one of our most highly sought trees for nature
photography. The largest known quaking aspen is in Ontonagon
County at the western end of upper Michigan. It is 109 feet
(32.7m) tall and more than 3 feet (.09m) in diameter... Aspen
tree seed is difficult to deal with because of its small size and
perishable nature. Any damage incurred by establishing aspen
trees during tranplanting will doom the tree to cankers, insect attack,
bark blemishes, and premature death, so aspens are best established
from root cuttings set directly into the permanent planting location."
-from Native
Trees for North American Landscapes - Sternberg/Wilson
Because
the aspen's bark is thin,
the tree burns easily in a forest fire but becomes dominant in the
aftermath of fire. The root system quickly sends up sprouts which
become competitive in growth and develop vigorously after fire. This
can be seen dramatically in such areas as Carter Canyon where there is
full sunlight, important for good growth and survival. After
a
fire such as the Aspen Fire of 2003, a strong aspen stand can develop
within ten years, and if left to spread without intervention,
develop into a mature forest of healthy trees. These stands
often
provide natural fuel breaks during a wildfire because they contain more
moisture which in turn may protect the conifers surrounding aspen
stands. The deep roots of the aspen then have the ability to send out
suckers which sprout quickly to provide new growth.
Aspen
trees as we know them today
spread out from the vast White Spruce forests during the last Ice Age.
The early species of aspen and spruce followed the ice floes as
they retreated northward. And today varieties of aspen may be
observed throughout the higher elevations of the United States and all
of North America.
Hopefully
the aspen stands on Mt.
Lemmon will continue to thrive and grow, as Mother Nature repairs the
damage from the Aspen Fire of 2003.
If you would like
more information about aspen trees, check out the following links:
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/poptre/all.html
http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Tree%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/populus%20tremuloides.htm
http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html
http://forestry.about.com/od/hardwoods/ss/aspen_5.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/resources/health/aspen
decline.shtml
Last
updated 9/19/2008
