ASPEN(POPULUS TREMULA)

Strength Properties
European aspen is reported to have rather low strength properties in bending, stiffness, and resistance to shock. Its crushing strength is rated as medium, and weight is about average.

Steam Bending
Aspen is reported to be unsuitable for solid bending since it tends to buckle severely on the concave face. Strapping and end-pressure devices are reported to do very little to improve bending properties.

Painting
The timber is reported to take paints fairly well.

Varnishing
Varnishing characteristics are rated as satisfactory.

Staining
Staining qualities are rated as fair, although surfaces sometimes tend to stain unevenly.

Polishing
Polishing properties are reported to be satisfactory.

Nailing
The timber is reported to accept nails satisfactorily.

Gluing
Gluing qualities are reported to be very good.

Planing
Aspen tends to be woolly and requires very sharp and thin cutting angles for best results in planing and other machining operations. Cutters with reduced sharpness angle have also been recommended.

Cutting Resistance
Saws tend to bind occasionally during conversion, but cross-cutting and narrow bandsawing operations are reported to be satisfactory.

Blunting Effect
The wood is reported to dull cutting edges slightly.

Natural Durability
The heartwood is reported to have very little natural resistance to decay in contact with the ground. Standing trees and logs are vulnerable to attack by forest longhorn beetles, and trees may be attacked by wood-boring caterpillars. The sapwood is reported to be seldom attacked by powder-post beetles.

Movement in Service
Dimensional stability is reported to be fair, and the wood shows medium movement in use.

Kiln Schedules
Schedule E (4/4) United Kingdom

Drying Defects
Wet pockets are reported to be rather common, and knots tend to split during drying.

Ease of Drying
The timber is reported to dry fairly rapidly and well.

Odor
There is no distinct odor or taste.

Texture
Uniformity in structure and little contrast between earlywood and latewood gives Aspen a fine and even texture. It tends to be wooly, but Aspen is generally considered to have a finer texture than the Poplars.

Grain
The grain is reported to be typically straight.

Heartwood Color
The wood is usually creamy-white to gray in color, but may be light brown or pinkish-brown, with the heartwood and sapwood seldom differentiable. European aspen is reported to be whiter in color, and is generally of better quality than Poplars.

Tree Data
Aspen trees are reported to rarely be tall trees. They reach about 60 to 80 feet (18 to 24 m) in height, with a trunk diameter usually 3 to 4 feet (90 to 120 cm), though they can be larger. Aspen from Britain is reported to seldom attain timber sizes, and are usually cultivated for other purposes than the production of timber.

Several species of Poplar and European aspen are reported to be routinely marketed together, although timber quality within each species can vary significantly depending upon growth conditions.

Product Sources
It is currently unknown whether lumber and other timber products produced from this species are available from environmentally responsible sources.

Distribution
Native to Scotland, Ireland, England, and Wales, the species is reported to occur in Europe, northern Africa, and Asia. Its natural range is reported to include the entire British Isles, and is also found in the Scandinavian countries, Poland, and Russia. The tree is reported to tolerate poor soils very well. It occurs in the mountains in the southern region of its growth range.