Sadly, many Denver residents are losing these treasures unexpectedly. Recently, we have received an alarming number of calls from folks who report their aspens are suddenly dying. Aspens are not only unique for their unrivaled beauty, but they are truly biological marvels.
Aspens may remain dormant for many years, only breaching the soil when weather conditions are near-perfect. A group of aspens is called a stand or clone. Each tree is one part of a larger, single organism. A stand of aspen trees all share the same root system.
Each tree in the group is a genetic copy of the others. This is why a group of aspens is also referred to as a clone. They withstand such a wide range of climatic conditions by growing at lower altitudes in the north and higher altitudes in the south. Quaking aspens are conspicuously absent from the Southeast because there are no high-elevation mountains where it can live.
Quaking aspens can reproduce via pollen and eggs that are contained in hanging flowers called catkins. The combination of all of the stems and their single root system is a structure called a clone.
Aboveground, the many different stems appear to be separate trees, but they are all genetically identical. Dendrologists scientists that study trees have a couple of simple tricks for telling one clone from another.
For starters, all trees of the same clone will change leaf color at the same time in the fall. The synchrony continues in spring when the trees gain flowers and regrow leaves. The lifespan of quaking aspens is unique. Individual quaking aspen stems usually live for about 50 to 60 years, sometimes up to years in the West.
However, in many cases, each tree is actually part of a much larger organism, since multiple stems can sprout from the same root system. When trees that are a part of these large clones die, they are eventually replaced with new growth. Therefore, while one stem has a relatively short lifespan, the entire clone can live for tens of thousands of years. Quaking aspen clones are virtually impossible to kill. Individual stems can be destroyed by humans, wildlife, and disease, but the belowground root system is resistant to almost all of these factors.
Pocket gophers , which feed on the roots, seem to be one of the few creatures able to curtail the growth of aspen groves. Below is a short guide to Aspen tree care in Denver.
Nearly all Aspens for sale in Denver came from the mountains for transplanting. So, the best way to keep your trees happy is to recreate the environment from which they came. The berm should be away from any foot traffic to avoid soil compaction. Even after careful preparation and care, Aspen only live about 25 years in a city landscape.
Homeowners with Aspens on their property probably notice that the trees send little shoots up from the ground. Each node becomes another Aspen tree if not cut down. You can mow them down when needed. However, property owners should not use chemicals to kill these plants because they remain part of the original tree. One Aspen grove in Utah is acres in size, 80, years old, and considered the largest living organism on earth.
Their white trunk-covering is unique because it performs photosynthesis for the tree. Wildlife in the mountains, sometimes during brutal winters, have trouble finding food. Since the white bark produces sugars during the winter, it becomes a last resort food source for hungry deer and elk. Aphids are a nuisance with their honeydew blackening leaves in the late summer and fall. Also, this sticky substance falls on cars, furniture, and other yard fixtures.
Insecticide soaps and systemic injections control Aphids during the growing season. These insects look like oyster shells that develop on the bark of trunks and limbs of Aspen, Ash, Oaks, and Poplar trees. These scales suck the fluids of cells underlying the bark, often killing the surrounding tissue. To know how well a quaking aspen will do in your region, we encourage you to consult local experts such as the county extension office or a certified arborist.
Additionally, check your hardiness zone to make sure that the tree grows in your area. For some people who border two different hardiness zones, the success rate can be different. Populus tremuloides Unaided, this humble but sturdy little tree has restored many of the forests that man has destroyed, and when cultivated, has replenished many harvested forests within 50 years. In the landscape Quaking aspen can lend a special beauty to a home landscape, but you must be prepared to deal with the removal of unwanted sprouts.
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