EUROPEAN ASPEN (POPULUS-TREMULA L) - A REVIEW WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO SCOTLAND .2. VALUES, SILVICULTURE AND UTILIZATION

Interest in European aspen (Populus tremula L.) has increased in recen t years as a result of efforts to restore and extend native woodland, and to diversify the range of species used in forestry plantations. As pen is a straightforward tree to manage; it is of considerable ecologi cal value and capable of producing utilizable timber. Planting of aspe n in native woodland is currently limited by a shortage of plants of S cottish origin. Propagation from seed, whilst possible, has not been p ractised, and recent efforts to produce stock have concentrated on veg etative means. The use of aspen as a component of plantation forestry could be increased on appropriate sites; it is an excellent amenity sp ecies and its timber is currently acceptable as chipwood and could com plement the production of poplar timber in the lowlands. However, on t he basis of limited data, growth rates and stem form of aspen in Scotl and appear to be rather poorer than on the European continent where as pen is a significant timber producing species. More would also need to be known about its susceptibility to disease before its timber produc tion potential could be evaluated properly.