Into the Forest, Scene I: The Quaking Aspen

Trees - we exploit them, and murder them en masse to meet our own ends, but don't realize their value, nor their importance. Though we cannot all be expected to chain ourselves to trees, we can at least appreciate the subtle beauties and practicalities of nearly everything the forest has to offer us.

The Quaking Aspen

Quaking Aspens are a very distinctive tree, with a white trunk that is broken by black 'scars' [scars form on the trunk where branches used to grow]. They can be noted by their leaves' appearance to 'quake' or 'quiver' when exposed to a breeze. These leaves are more dexterous than the leaves found on most other trees, an element which aids the tree in photosynthesis, allowing a more uniform amount of heat and sun to enter the leaf, without oversaturation. In the fall, they are easily discerned, as their leaves not only quake, but turn vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red, making themselves very prominent amongst their neighbors. In the spring, Aspens are known to flower for two months [May/April in the east, and June/July in the west, approx]. Their flowering is triggered by a period of 6 consecutive days where the temperature remains above 12 degrees celsius.

Aspens will most often be found in groupings, as they mainly reproduce by root sprouts, as clones of the original tree. These clones will most often be within 10m of the first, though they have been known to stretch to as far as 30m.

What makes Quaking Aspens worthwhile:

• Their wood is soft and easy to work with, while maintaining a strength and integrity useful for building shelters and other simple necessities quickly. The wood will not splinter, making building with it much easier
• Aspen wood has a strong resistance to fire, and is often used in matches to prevent hazard to the user. This resistance makes the wood a logical choice for shelters, and other structures that need to be fireproofed.
• The white powder taken from the bark of an Aspen tree acts as a sunscreen with 5 SPF - it's not nearly as strong as commercialized sunscreen, but may provide the protection one needs to avoid a burn while hiking, adventuring, or simply lost.
• The soft wood can be easily mashed into a pulp, which can provide makeshift bedding in a dire situation. This pulp is one of many used in industrial plants to create paper.
• Both the inner bark and the catkins [flowers growing from the tree] are edible and nutritious.
• Chewed or pulped bark and roots of the Aspen tree can be applied to wounds to help stop bleeding.
• Play a key role in the industry of phytoremediation, a process by which the pumping of the roots of an aspen tree will control and remove contaminants in the groundwater, effectively purifying both the water and the ground in the area, allowing more to grow and promoting more drinkable water.
• Since their wood is resistant to fire, Aspens have been known to diminish and stop the spread of forest fires
• Aspen groves help stabilize ground and prevent soil erosion, which allows a greater number of other trees to live in the area