Moving a Tall, Young Aspen Tree. 10.10.21

A few years ago, the aspen tree that I planted in 2012 sent off an underground shoot, terminating in a baby aspen tree. That's one way they reproduce, like amoebas. I cut off that shoot and planted it behind the woodshed. That wasn't very smart, because it's very shady back there. Plus, I needed to put up a deer guard fence which is always messy, encourages blackberry brambles, and was in the way of me getting into the woodshed. Today I moved it to an entirely different spot. I had to dig up a sad little pawpaw tree whose top and died and the new shoot wasn't looking great. The Aspen tree and its roots. I will be filled with a sense of awe if a tree with so minimal roots actually survives. Rainy season / Fall / October is actually a good time do do it.

I had actually tried not to cut off too much root, but the root system was too long and sprawling for me to dig up. Still, I've planted trees almost as tall, with even fewer roots, and they thrived. So we will see.

According to WA State Arborist Lind Chalker Scott (if memory serves correctly, I should not shorten the top, so I wont. Also, it's usually recommended not to tie a transplanted tree to stakes, but thus one is so ungangly and top heavy, I'm certain it will fall over and uproot itself. Do unstaking will need to wsit a year or too. We'll see if it grows. Each Fall I try to plant another shade treein honor of my pasding another rotation around the sun, and I think this one counts.