Bigtooth Aspen is native to New England, southern Canada, and the midwestern United States including all of Ohio. As a type of poplar, its leaves flutter easily in the slightest breeze, and its white trunks speckled with black marks make it stand out in the winter skyline.
It may be found in river bottoms and near bodies of water, or it also can be located in burned-over forests, abandoned fields, and at the bottom of slopes. It is a pioneer invader of available land, and may form nearly pure stands in areas that have been logged, burned, bulldozed, or left alone.
Its rapid growth allows it to reach heights of 60 feet tall by 30 feet wide in about thirty years with the potential for more growth, with a long, straight central leader that supports a pyramidal crown in youth, and a spreading canopy at maturity.
Its wood is often harvested for pulp in the production of paper. As a member of the Willow Family, it is related to the Willows and other species of Poplar.
Planting Requirements - Bigtooth Aspen prefers moist, deep, rich soils of variable pH, but growth often occurs on gravelly, sandy, or clay soils that are nearly sterile. It is found in zones 3 to 5, in full sun to partial sun.
Potential Problems - Bigtooth Aspen may become subject to the cankers, leaf spots, borers, caterpillars, and other pathogens and pests that ravage the Willow Family. However, in the growth spurt of youth, these problems tend to be minimal, and usually begin to manifest themselves later in the tree's life.