Aspen

Quaking Aspen

Trembling Aspen

The wide sapwood is whitish to creamy in color, and merges gradually into the heartwood.

The heartwood is whitish creamy to light yellowish brown in color.

The grain is typically straight.

Texture is usually fine and even.

There is a distinctive disagreeable odor when green, but the odor disappears after the material is seasoned. There is no characteristic taste.

The timber is reported to be dimensionally stable after seasoning, with only small movement in use.

Material containing tension wood is reported to plane with difficulty, and worked surfaces tend to be fuzzy. Sharp, thin-edged tools are recommended to prevent torn-grain and crumbling of end-grain material.

The wood has satisfactory turning qualities.

The material responds fairly well to boring operations, but surfaces of bored holes tend to be rough when tension wood is present.

Mortising properties are reported to be fair.

Gluing qualities are reported as good.

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The wood has satisfactory polishing properties.

Staining is reported to be generally satisfactory, but woolly surfaces tend to cause uneven staining.

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Strength properties of Quaking or Trembling aspen are reported to be comparable to those of White spruce (Picea glauca ).