Wood: Wood
is light, soft and weak. Heartwood is reddish-yellow and sapwood nearly
white.
Wildlife: The native quaking aspen (P.tremuloides) and the bigtooth aspen (P. grandidentata) are important to wildlife in the US. Grouse eat the buds and catkins in winter and spring. Rabbits and browsers eat the twigs, tender bark and foliage, and beavers and porcupines feed on the bark and wood.
Horticulture: This tree is more a liability than an asset in most settings. It spreads aggressively by root suckers (the photograph shows root suckers at the base of the tree) and breaks easily in storms, requiring constant maintenance. The roots tend to block drains and sewers, and lift sidewalks. 'Pyramidalis,' the Bolleana poplar, with a narrow, columnar crown, has all the limitations mentioned above. The gray poplar (P. X canescens), hybrid with unlobed leaves, is a hybrid between the white poplar and the European aspen (P. tremula).
