The Life of Trees

Did you know that aspen wood is white and soft, but fairly strong, and has low flammability. It has a number of uses, notably for making matches and paper where its low flammability makes it safer to use than most other woods. Shredded aspen wood is used for packing and stuffing, sometimes called excelsior (wood wool). It is also a popular animal bedding, since it lacks the phenols associated with pine and juniper, which are thought to cause respiratory system ailments in some animals. Heat-treated aspen is a popular material for the interiors of a sauna.

I love the contrast of vibrant green leaves and the white bark in the summer.

I love the radiant golden colors of fall.

I love the tranquil while bark, flecked with black, against a winter's day. 

I loved sitting down by the pond last summer, shaded by the aspens. I loved the sound their little leaves make as a light wind passes by while I read my book.

Last year on Mother's Day, we received a foot of snow and a late freeze. All of our trees that were budding and starting to leaf were hit pretty hard. The cluster of aspens by the pond looked terrible all year. Many branches that had budded never did go to leaf as you can see below.

Throughout the summer we also noticed a lot of suckers started to pop up all around the six bare aspens by the pond. Initially we wanted to cut all the suckers down but we finally decided to let them go and see what happened the next year.

Well, the next year is here and we have been watching them all spring. All of the other trees are blooming with new life. But not the six mature aspens by the pond. We waited and waited and finally...

 

Handy Man cut them all down. 

We also lost two other Aspens this year on the front side of the house. I feel like every year we cut more and more trees down. 

I am thinking that this year will be a tree planting year.

Hmm, what to get?