The most widely distributed North American tree with a narrow, rounded crown, growing between 40 and 70 ft. tall. It is a temporary pioneer speciesgrowing after fires and on abandoned fields, being replaced by conifers. Its name comes from the thin foliage, with leaves on flat leafstalks that tremble in a slight breeze.

BUDS: Shiny and sharply pointed; brown.

TWIGS: Shiny brown and slender; hairless.

BARK: Whitish to yellowish; smooth; very large trunks become dark and furrowed.

HABITAT: Sandy, gravelly, and many other soil types. Trembling aspens can propogate clonally.

RANGE: Northern North America. From Alaska to Newfoundland, south to Virginia, in the Rocky Mountains south to southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

USES: The wood is commercially used for paper and pulp, matches, and particle board.