Common aspen
Populus tremula
Taxon: willow family (Salicaceae)
Other names: aspen, poplar trembling, shaker, whisperer-tree
English: Aspen Poplar, European aspen, Aspen
Botanical description of aspen
Common aspen- a tree up to 30 m high and up to 50-100 cm thick. The crown is ovoid or wide-cylindrical, the bark is greenish-olive, smooth, dark gray on old trees, cracked. The leaves are rounded, on long petioles, serrated, the petioles are flattened in the upper part, and therefore the leaves tremble at the slightest breath of the breeze. Flower buds are ovoid, large, bloom in the spring in the form of earrings from 4 to 15 cm long. Aspen blooms in April-May before the leaves bloom. The seeds mature after 35 days and are dispersed by the wind. On moist soil, they germinate in 1-2 days. Aspen propagates not only by seeds, but also by root offspring. The root system of a tree is very powerful.Leaves on an adult aspen appear 20 days after flowering. In autumn, the leaves turn a beautiful color from golden yellow to brown-red. Aspen begins to bloom from 10-12 years. Flowering and fruiting annually.
Aspen habitats
It is extremely frost-resistant and spreads far to the north, reaching the forest-tundra. It grows very quickly and by the age of 50 gives up to 400 cubic meters of wood from 1 ha. Lives up to 150 years. Widely distributed in the forests of the European part of the country, in Western and Eastern Siberia, on Far East, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, in Kazakhstan. It grows in Western Europe, Mongolia, China and Korea.
Collection and harvesting of aspen
Aspen- valuable medicinal plant. ethnoscience uses bark, young shoots, buds and leaves as medicinal raw materials.The chemical composition of aspen
Aspen leaves contain up to 2.2 percent glycosides, including salicin, 43.1 mg /% carotene and 471 mg /% ascorbic acid, protein, fat, fiber.The bark contains up to 4.4% glycosides (salicin, salicorotin, tremulacin, bitter glycosides, populin), essential oil, pectin, salicylase enzyme, up to 10 percent of tannins. In addition, a whole range of trace elements was found in aspen bark (in mg/kg of dry matter): 23-28 copper, 0.03 molybdenum, 0.06 cobalt, 138-148 zinc, 83-90 iron, 0.1-0. 3 iodine, 0.7-1.0 nickel.
Aspen buds contain the glycosides salicin and populin; benzoic and malic acids, tannins, essential oil and other compounds.
Aspen wood contains cellulose nectazan, resin.
Pharmacological properties of aspen
Aspen has a hemostatic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antipyretic, expectorant, astringent, diaphoretic, choleretic and anthelmintic effect. An aqueous extract of aspen bark is used to treat opisthorchiasis.The use of aspen in medicine
Aspen bark and leaves have a mild diuretic, expectorant and stimulant effect.
Aspen bark is an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic agent. It is used for rheumatism and fever, relieves menstrual pain.
Young shoots, buds, bark, aspen leaves are used as a hemostatic and astringent.
A decoction of buds, young leaves, aspen shoots is used as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory agent for febrile conditions, gastritis.
An infusion or decoction of aspen buds is a popular remedy for fever, chronic colds, pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis.
Alcohol tincture, ointment (aspen bark with fat), fresh juice is used externally to treat burns, eczema, boils.
Aspen ash from the trunk and bark of a tree, mixed with fresh pork fat, is applied externally as an ointment for eczema: the leaves are burned, fumigated with smoke, boils are sprinkled with ash.
Steamed kidneys and aspen leaves are applied for pain in the joints.
Aspen is part of drugs for the treatment of chronic prostate and bladder disorders.
Aspen leaves are used to treat hemorrhoids. They are applied to hemorrhoidal cones for 2 hours, after which they are removed and after 1 hour they are replaced with fresh ones, again for 2 hours, and then everything is washed off with cool water. During the week, the procedure is repeated 3-4 times with breaks for at least a day.
There is an original folk way dental treatment: they take a freshly cut short aspen log, drill its core, but not completely, pour table salt into the resulting hole and plug it with something (the density of the cork is important), put the log in the fire and, without letting it burn out to the end, pour it out holes of salt, already saturated with juice. This salt is either directly placed on the aching tooth, or diluted in a ratio of 1:10 for rinsing the mouth.
Aspen is widely used in the medicine of many peoples, it helps well with inflammation and in cases where you want to quickly get rid of mental confusion. With prolonged contact with aspen, headaches, drowsiness, difficulty breathing, nausea, and even loss of consciousness may occur. Aspen is active from 14 to 18 hours and in cool weather. Aspen energy can be compared to a strong cold shower.
Aspen is used in Dr. Bach's flower therapy, an elixir prescribed for "vague fears of unknown origin", "anxiety" and "premonition".
Medicinal preparations of aspen
A decoction of young bark: brew 1 cup of chopped bark with 3 cups of boiling water, boil it for 30 minutes, insist under a cloth heating pad for half a day, strain. Drink 3 tbsp. l. 1 hour before meals.It is used for kidney diseases, cystitis and other diseases of the bladder, urinary retention and salt deposits in the joints, gout, urinary incontinence, colitis, pancreatitis, diabetes, catarrhal cough, nephritis. This decoction is recommended for gastritis and poor digestion, dyspepsia, diarrhea, coughing, and also as an appetite stimulant.
A decoction of buds, leaves or bark: 1 tbsp. l. raw materials in a glass of boiling water, boil for an hour, strain and drink 1-2 tbsp. spoons 3 times a day.
Kidney tincture in 70% alcohol or vodka and water infusion of kidneys has pronounced antimicrobial properties and is used as a diaphoretic or anti-inflammatory for colds.
The use of aspen in the economy
In the old days, aspen branches were always put in barrels with sauerkraut- so that she does not wander. Aspen bark is used for food. To do this, it is prepared in the form of ribbons 40-50 cm long, dried, ground into powder, then added to flour for baking bread. Taiga hunters add aspen bark to food in winter to relieve fatigue and increase endurance during long and difficult transitions.A bit of history
Aspen is the strongest representative among trees that take bioenergy. Apparently, it was not in vain that in the old days the aspen stake was associated with the spirit of the restless dead. According to legend, the aspen absorbed part of the bioenergy of the deceased and he could no longer actively remind the living of himself. For those who died a mysterious death or were killed, as well as suicides, an aspen cross was placed in the coffin and an aspen stake was placed on the grave. There are many other superstitions associated with aspen. She was declared a cursed tree; firstly, because it trembles - it means that it is afraid of something, secondly, it almost does not give a shadow, although it has a lush crown, and thirdly, it burns brightly, but it gives little heat. Although there is a scientific explanation for all this. For example, the trembling of an aspen is explained by the special structure of its leaf - it has a very long shard, and the leaf itself is dense and not as flexible as that of other trees.For wood, known in Rus' as "trembling poplar", a lot of ambiguous opinions have been fixed. You can’t build a house out of aspen, the tree is unfriendly, cold, crooked. You can cut down a small bathhouse. Is it only necessary in modern realities? The view of the aspen is painfully unsightly. It is undesirable to be guided by beliefs in antimicrobial and disinfecting properties (this is with a persistent smell of rot).
Tree Aspen - comes from the genus of poplars (willow family). Its value in the bud, as commercial wood, is questionable. The quality is very different even on the same type of soil. Every second tree is rotten from the inside. Therefore, aspen is bought at the price of firewood. The cost of the cube is 700-1000 rubles. A significant number of trees suitable for construction (age 30-40 years) have a rotten trunk from the inside or damage in the process. For example, for a small chapel near Lake Peipus in 2004, carpenters took a month to select aspen timber. A slight plus of aspen is the moderate taper of the tree trunk due to its strong curvature, which is not very pleasing. This breed, unlike conifers, is never straight.
We must pay tribute to the aspen - a fallen tree does not become weaker over time. Provided that it was initially healthy. Aspen can be buried in the ground. Not very afraid of water, just covered with a slimy coating with bad smell. The walls in the aspen log cabin will need to be scraped off from time to time. In fairness: under the outwardly unsightly " protective coating", which appeared when exposed to moisture, hides white, poorly flammable wood. Aspen log fire bioprotection is not required. Street walls acquire a characteristic gray-silver hue over time. An aspen frame cracks in the same way as a pine / spruce frame. Needs a caulk. After polishing, the log looks much more attractive.
It is believed that it is better to harvest aspen for a log house in the spring, when the buds swell, which means the beginning of sap flow in the trunk. Moreover, first to stain the logs for a month in the shade or in stagnant water. Aspen, unlike oak (which is also washed, though without access to oxygen), this only makes it stronger. The carpenter's ax bounces, so the tree stiffens. The chainsaw dulls quickly on fresh aspen, dust rather than sawdust flies from under the tire.
In practice, log cabins from this breed look much more profitable (more tidy, snow-white, smell of grass) in winter time. In winter, by analogy with conifers, aspen is easier to plan than debark. The debraker takes it badly.
There is a misconception - supposedly pests do not spoil the wood. The Great Aspen Longhorn Beetle Xylotrechus rusticus (pictured) and the Great Aspen Skipper Saperda carcharias specialize in aspen and poplars. With their larvae.
There is no resin in the aspen trunk. Which is good only for the operation of a freshly cut bath. In coniferous pine / spruce, for some time after the first heating, the contents of the resin pockets are melted. As a result, it smells strongly of turpentine. There is no such smell in the aspen steam room. Therefore, the atmosphere of the steam room is regarded as soft, the steam is not burning, enveloping, as if covered with a warm duvet.
This breed does not conduct heat well on the walls. The bath does not warm up for a long time, independently distributing heat from the heating zone along the wood fibers throughout the log house. But the canopy of aspen does not burn the skin. The tree does not breathe, in order to avoid dampness of the premises, it is necessary to ventilate well after visiting. What are the advantages of a log house made of spruce for a bath, unlike aspen - the ability of wood to independently remove excess moisture to the street + natural convection of air through the walls.
In everyday life, common aspen - a cursed tree (perhaps due to the characteristic whisper of leaves) during its use has acquired a trail of plausible and not very myths and superstitions. From the ability to take away mental anguish and draw illness out of the human body, to the fight against evil spirit(aspen stake). In the old days in aspen baths they ruled, guessed, steamed to protect against damage and the evil eye. Get rid of sadness and depression. As actually happens in any Russian bath. It is considered useful to lean against an aspen tree. Pain and anxiety go away. If only every tree was healthy itself ...
Aspen log cabin in comparison with a log cabin made of coniferous logs
Cabin of aspen logs
Aspen is traditional material in the construction of baths. In most cases, aspen (aspen lining) is used at the stage of finishing the steam bath section, cut down from pine or spruce. However, if you want to bathe in an unfinished log house, but so that the logs do not tar, there is an option to build a bath completely from aspen logs.
If we compare aspen and pine (spruce), then aspen has many features that limit the possibilities of building from this tree. The first feature is that an outwardly healthy aspen can be rotten from the inside. Therefore, the process of selecting aspen logs for the log cabin takes more time and effort than selecting pine or spruce logs. For clarity, let's say that if one truckload of timber is needed for a log house, then we will sort out no more than 10 percent of logs from a pine truck as unusable, that is, approximately every 10th log, or even less. In order to collect the same number of high-quality aspen logs, you will have to sort out at least two timber trucks. That is, we will reject almost every second log. As a result, production costs increase. As a result, in order to buy an aspen log house, you will have to pay 20% more than the cost of a pine (spruce) bathhouse.
The second feature of aspen is the poor separation of the bark (compared to coniferous wood) in all periods, except for the time of active movement of juices. Therefore, we are engaged in cutting baths from aspen logs for two months a year: from the end of March to the middle or end of May. In the spring, the bark from the aspen comes off, perhaps not by itself, the log turns out to be white and smooth. So if you want to buy a log cabin of an aspen bathhouse, make a decision in advance and place an order so that we can select logs without rot and cut down a bathhouse in April-May.
The third feature of aspen is an increased (again in comparison with coniferous species) tendency to crack when logs dry out. In particular, we do not recommend chopping an aspen sauna into a bowl, since the unclosed ends of the logs, especially on the sunny side of the log house, can “break”. In our construction practice, there was a case when an aspen log of a bathhouse cut into a bowl cracked in half, through and through. At the same time, it must be understood that the cracking of logs is not a violation of the integrity of the bath through the fault of the developer. It's just a property natural material, and no one will take responsibility for how the log behaves during the drying and shrinkage of the log house. Our task is to cut down and assemble the bathhouse with high quality, and then the period of operation begins. When cutting a bath from aspen "in the paw", the risk of cracking logs at the ends is significantly lower, so we recommend felling exactly "in the paw".
There is one more point that applies only to aspen log cabins: since aspen saunas are ordered much less often than from pine (spruce), we do not cut them “for storage”. Only for a specific customer. Since no one may need an aspen bath of the size you need for a long time, we will definitely take an advance payment (in the amount of 20-30% of the cost of the log house).
When buying an aspen bath, you should also take into account that all the accessories that we can provide as standard will be made of softwood. That is, the floor board, and the lining on the ceilings, and the boards truss system, And window frames and doors - all made of pine or spruce.
However, the aspen bath has undeniable advantages compared to coniferous. For example, an aspen bath does not require finishing inside the steam room, because, unlike pine or spruce, aspen does not emit resin when heated. In addition, aspen logs are more resistant to environment, including moisture. Over time, the aspen log house, as they say, “ossifies” - after drying, the logs can neither be chopped nor sawn. In an aspen bath, the air is lighter than in a pine or spruce bath. However, if the coniferous bath is trimmed with aspen or linden, then the effect is similar. So the choice of the type of wood from which the bath will be made is always yours. And choosing aspen or needles is more a matter of personal preference than a logically justified action.
Aspen boards and beams are quite rare on the sawn timber market today. This tree is undeservedly forgotten by woodworkers, but in vain. Aspen wood is distinguished by a number of technical and consumer advantages that are not inherent in every hardwood. No wonder in the old days it was one of the main building materials- from aspen they made well log cabins, baths, cellars, peeled shingles for roofs. In addition, various utensils were cut out of it - buckets, ladles, troughs. All this speaks, first of all, of such an indispensable quality of wood as high water resistance. Aspen was used for the manufacture of hammer handles, ax handles, cuttings for various garden tools, which means that the wood is characterized by increased strength. Now master woodworkers have become more attentive to this breed and more and more often use it for the production of lumber for various purposes.
Biological features and geography of growth
Common aspen is a deciduous tree belonging to the Willow family, the Poplar genus. Aspen is often also called "trembling poplar" - this is how the Latin name of this plant (Populus tremula) is translated.
Aspen is a tall large tree, its height can reach 35 meters, and the diameter of the trunk - 1 meter. The quivering poplar grows relatively quickly, lives relatively briefly - the age of the oldest specimens reaches 80-90 years. The main disadvantage of this breed is that the wood is often infected with various fungal diseases, so large-sized high-quality sawlogs are very rare.
The root system of the tree is powerful, located deep, forming root offspring of great length. In young trees, the bark is smooth, its color can vary from greenish gray to light green. With age, closer to the base (butt), the bark cracks and darkens.
The leaf arrangement of aspen is alternate, the leaves are characterized by a rounded or rhombic shape, their length is 3-7 cm. In young coppice shoots, the leaves can be much larger, up to 15 cm long. In autumn, the foliage acquires different bright colors- from golden to bright red.
Aspen blooms before the leaves bloom with earrings, in which there are many small flowers. This tree is dioecious, male catkins are reddish, female are greenish. The fruit is a very small box with seeds, equipped with a bunch of hairs.
Aspen is an important forest-forming species in Russia; this tree is found throughout the country, most often in the steppe and forest-steppe zone. It also grows on the border of the taiga with the tundra.
This breed "loves" soils with high humidity, the tree feels great on the banks of reservoirs, near swamps. It is often found in forests, ravines, less often on dry sands and in mountainous areas. Aspen is part of mixed forests, where it grows next to conifers (pine, spruce, larch) and such hardwoods as birch, oak, alder. It is found throughout Russia and Europe, also grows in Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, on the Korean Peninsula.
Physical and technical indicators and appearance
The structure of the tree structure in aspen is non-nuclear, scattered-vascular type. The color of the wood is whitish, often with a slightly greenish tint. At the same time, the texture does not differ in spectacularity and special expressiveness. Heart-shaped rays and growth rings are weakly visible here, so the woody pattern, unlike others hardwood, looks rustic - aspen products are practically not used for decorative purposes.
The structure of the wood is uniform, per square centimeter (if you look at the cut) there are usually about 5.5 growth rings. The density of aspen with 12% humidity is within 495 kg/m2.
This material is quite soft, in terms of strength it is very close to linden. Mechanical properties lumber from aspen are approximately as follows:
- Static bending strength - 76.5 MPa
- Compression limit along the fibers - 43.1 MPa
- Tensile limit - 121 MPa
- Impact strength - 84.6 kJ / m2
- End hardness - 25.8 N / kV.mm
- Tangential hardness - 19.6 N / kV.mm
- Radial hardness - 18.7 N/kV.mm
- Percentage of radial shrinkage - 2.7%
- Density - 495 kg/m2.
With an average moisture content of a freshly cut trunk of 82 percent, aspen does not dry out too much. According to the shrinkage coefficient, it can be attributed to medium-drying rocks. In terms of load resistance, aspen can be compared with spruce and pine, it bends well, does not lose its strength characteristics with prolonged application of forces. At the same time, wood is highly resistant to abrasion, lends itself well to cutting and turning. Its structure is homogeneous, due to which, in the production of lumber, it is possible to saw blanks into different directions, at different angles. At the same time, a small amount of knots gets into the product.
After evaluating the above figures, we can conclude that builders in vain treat lumber from this breed with distrust. Apparently, this is due to the fact that the tree often grows in wetlands and is prone to fungal diseases. At the same time, infection occurs precisely from the core, which makes the infected sawlog unsuitable as a raw material for production. But, if the round timber is harvested of high quality, then it is able to adequately compete with coniferous raw materials.
Aspen can't be named unique tree, this is a solid middle peasant among competitors that deserves to be used. It is most often used to make timber and edged boards designed for special purposes. Baths / saunas are built from aspen timber. Edged boards, floor tongues, various small moldings (skirting boards, platbands, fillets) are made from this wood.
Aspen baths
One of the main positive qualities aspen wood is its ability to resist high humidity, even without any special treatments. That's why the best tree for the construction of a bath or sauna is not found (at least in terms of practicality and price). For the installation of the log house, an aspen beam is used, while the interior decoration is carried out using an aspen edged board. All kinds of bath utensils are also made from this wood - barrels for cold water, containers for steaming brooms, ladles, chairs, hangers, etc.
A bath made of aspen will keep heat very well. In addition, in this case, one cannot ignore such a feature of aspen wood as the ability to exert a bactericidal effect due to the content of a large number tannins and aromatics essential oils. It is believed that the substances released during heating of this wood have a pronounced antitussive, anti-inflammatory and choleretic effect.
An important point is the low cost of timber and boards, so the construction of an aspen bath will be quite inexpensive.
Houses from aspen timber
Aspen is distributed throughout Russia everywhere, lumber from it is inexpensive and can be processed well. However, for the construction of houses, aspen timber is used very rarely. And this is due to two reasons:
- it is quite difficult to find the required amount of high-quality timber, since the tree is still subject to fungal diseases in the process of growth;
- natural humidity aspen wood is high, therefore, if insufficiently dried lumber is used for construction, cracks can form in the supporting structures during the drying process and the geometry can change.
In addition, in certain circles there is a strong opinion that aspen has negative energy - this may scare some people away from using it as a material for construction and decoration.
How is an aspen edged board used?
In addition to finishing baths and saunas edged board from aspen, due to its increased moisture resistance, is often used for arranging various street buildings. Floors are made from it open verandas and gazebos, lay garden paths in the form of a wooden block. Aspen lumber is also used for the manufacture of various outdoor furniture and decorative buildings. Benches, tables are made from it, and it is used as a finish for well covers. They say that the best material than aspen timber, for arranging a well log house cannot be found. After all, even in ancient times it was noticed that in such wells the water always remains clean and fresh.
Thick board suitable for assembly frame walls And interior partitions. An aspen edged board can be used for mounting the batten when arranging the truss system. Dry products are suitable for the manufacture of furniture elements and stairs.
Industrial processing of aspen wood
Aspen is an affordable and inexpensive raw material, while its wood lends itself perfectly to different types mechanical processing (cutting, peeling, sawing, planing). Therefore, this material is widely used for the manufacture of matches, paper, cardboard, containers. various shapes and appointments.
In the match industry, aspen wood is valued especially highly because of its ease of processing. Given that aspen is easily peeled into veneer, sometimes it is also used in the manufacture of plywood sheets.
Aspen wood has a natural white color and a sufficient length of fibers, which makes it an excellent raw material for the production of paper and cardboard. The wood of this breed does not contain resins, which makes it possible to make barrel and box containers from it.
Aspen lumber TU
As already noted, aspen wood, especially sawlogs old age and diameter, often infected with rot. Therefore, when sawing logs into lumber, a lot of non-commercial wood remains, and this significantly increases the price of lumber.
Any wood product, as you know, must be made in accordance with the indicators specified in state standards (GOSTs) - this applies to size, grade, geometry, etc. Given the characteristics of aspen wood, it is very problematic to do this without increasing costs. In order to reduce the cost and price of lumber, each lumber manufacturer, depending on the capabilities of its equipment, develops its own specifications- THAT. Such documents allow the production of products that differ in size from the requirements of GOST. the main task TU is a reduction in the amount of non-commercial wood and an increase in the production of usable lumber, which is especially important in the case of aspen wood. The developed specifications allow the manufacturer to reduce the price of products.
Each buyer, in addition, has the opportunity to order sawn timber at the enterprise for individual sizes which will reduce the cost of installation individual structures and minimize waste. As you can see, the main difference between GOST and TU is the ability to satisfy the maximum demands of the consumer, who needs to have the right amount of high-quality piece products, while the “standard” dimensions are not important for him.
Pros and cons of aspen wood
From the foregoing, it becomes clear that the characteristics of aspen wood are far from unambiguous. For example, it is characterized by increased resistance to moisture, but it is often affected by fungal diseases.
This material has few disadvantages, but they are a fundamental factor when choosing:
- it is very difficult to find quality lumber in required quantities, especially when you need a lot of it;
- the high natural moisture content of aspen wood leads, if the products are not properly dried, to warping, cracking and changing the geometric shape of the structures.
Let's highlight the main advantages of aspen as a building material:
- decent moisture resistance;
- good thermal insulation ability;
- ease of processing and installation, combined with strength and elasticity;
- the absence of resins in the composition of wood and high moisture resistance makes aspen an ideal material for baths and saunas;
- when processing aspen wood, the cutting residue of tools does not dull and does not require constant cleaning.
Some consider aspen wood very beautiful, and some, on the contrary, say that it looks rustic and is not suitable for design. Well, as they say, it's a matter of taste. In this case, each consumer has the choice and opportunity to purchase what he likes and is suitable for each specific purpose.
