The Aspen Tree in the Northwest. 



By A. Knechtel, Inspector of Forest Reserves. 



Til tlip oastorn ])r()viiic('S of ( 'aiiada aoi so ni^miuiis ami \nvu>- a- ii 

 tilt' as|>cii is (M>ii.si(l»'n'(| a trcf <>t" little lie found r«»viT«Ml with souikI •, 

 iinpoilaiKM'. l\'rliaj)S the only fra- the tn-rs with trunks tail. t 

 ture wiiich (Oiiiiih'ikIk it to the ordi- an<l rlt-aii. Ah on*- ItKiks at 

 naiy ohscrver aro tht- trriiihliii«; woods from thr sunny sido tli. uj.- 

 It-avt's. Voun^ trci's in the woods pi-r portions of tin* tr*-*-}*. on am.nnt 

 have a lu'autiful oranjrr-f^reen color, (d" tlu* cioan jrray color of the ' 

 rspecially in the spiiiif;. and tho older app«'ar as if tln'y had Im'imi white- 

 trees a clean white. Hut few people washed. 



go to the woods, and po|)lar trei-s In tin* Kast poplar is u.simI i'hi«'rty 



gi(»wn in the city are usually a dirty as juilpwood. and in Canada very lit- 



jrray. tic is taken even for this purpose. Hut 



The top of the aspen is not frrace- '" ♦'"' ^^'^^t it is much used as • ■ '. 



ful. The hranches an' stitV. an<l. '""' "''"'>' ''•^' '"»'"•'« "•''• '»'"'' ' 



l.einjj brittle, are easilv broken off bv l^'«-''"tly considerable .luantifies liavc 



the wind, oi- hv ;i heavv deposit of ' " <"»"••'> '"'" ImnlN-r. It nmk*-n 



Snow. In the sprintr the catkins litter ••>:<'''ll'*'d rio<.rin^'. is durabh when 



tho ground, an.l the down falls '<''l'» ''«•>'• »""• ''"^ f""' several years 



and sticks to the clothing of persons '"'«'" '"«'•■»' "^•••' '" the con.Htructioii of 



passing near the trees. The roots '"">'''» '""l'l'">r^. ^»"'»' »« K • ** 



have the disagreea])Ie habit of throw- andstabh-s It «lr -• 



ing up su.kers. and so the tree is iM.t 'sI'-'-JhH.v ^^^^••n tm, 



a desirable one to have in close pn.x- , '•' ""• I"'"'"' l'n>viiic.-s |M.pl«r IS 



imitv to tho lawn or garden. As an ''•<"'>■ "! »"' '»"• ^''••:«' ••""'l'"^' ""^ 



orna'mental tree, therefore, it is not "/ <•"' »'»»;'•"■ . " "* "' ".' ' 



mueh in favor. ' ""» «ood u. that region that v 



duce.s ea.HHv from lh«* root. Whit© 



In the Kast the tie grows most in i,;,.,.,^ ,,,^,, Hpr.)uts from !) • " " it 



mixture with other trees and .seldom j,^ .,„„„titv is .small, eomi « 



reaches a large .size. On account ot ,,„,,|,,,. -pj,,. ,.„„if,.,^ xvill suppiv the 



the brittl.'iiess of Its branches, whieh. ,„„,.|j,., for onlv a nhort time heuce. 



when broken off. leave wounds where ^^^^ -^^^ and I' ' f>- 



spores of fungi Mml ea.sy lo.lgement. 1,;^^.^. midilv fron v 



it d.'cays at an early age. In the ^,^^^^, glowlv. Poplar vnnvs rai 



West, however, it forms large tonsls j j^'^^.^, ^^/^^ nianv . il 



The Kiding .Mountain Keserv.-. whieb ^^ j.^^^. ^'^^^^^^^ ^^j. j^.'^.^.^ „ 



covers an area of l.r»:r> Hquare miles. ^^^ jj^^. |„.ij,|,, „f ,, ,f. 



<'onsists mostly of poplar, and the ^^f^^,^. „ fl^fv 



Moose Mountain H. serve of Ulil ^^ poplar for.st em, I 



s.|uare miles is eovered with this j^^ i. . .... . ^ 



speci»'s almost exclusively. j^j , ^ ^.^ 



The trees in these w<M)ds grow to .suitable for lumlHT. to cut n 1- 



large si/e for the speeies. .some rt u.M>d the timUr n • ii 



ing thirty inehes in dijinn-tcr in'. to burn the lnnt "^ 



many tifte.n imiies at bn-ast height. a.shi-M will riw n >■ ^ 



II. re. as in th.' Kast. the poplar i.s will prndtiro timU-r ti 



sul»jeet to atta«k by fungi, but on Imn litable for y 



account of the dryness of climate in puij "^ •" '- 



the W.'st the irnnvth of the t'uniri i« munity 



10^> 



