Economic importance and use of aspen wood. Aspen as a valuable wood raw material Aspen and what is made from it

1. Why aspen
2. Advantages of the material
3. Disadvantages of aspen logs
4. How not to make a mistake when choosing
5. How to build

To build a bathhouse, it is necessary to choose materials that can withstand temperature changes, high humidity. Aspen is often used. A sauna and steam room made from a log of this tree meet the operational and safety requirements. The article describes the pros and cons of a bathhouse made of aspen, gives advice on how to choose the material, and what nuances need to be taken into account during construction.

Why aspen

In Rus', linden and aspen served as building materials. Spruce species were rarely used: drops of resin appeared on the surface. Nowadays pine and spruce are used for the construction of baths, but the premises must be lined with clapboard.

Aspen boards are easy to process. For this she was and is loved by master carvers. A mystical image was placed on the tree. It was believed that the breed scares away evil spirits and takes away everything bad: the bathhouse is a place where a person acquires purity of body and spirit.

Advantages of the material

Aspen wood:

• Has a homogeneous structure. The log can be processed in any direction.
• Fine-fiber, high density. Wood is moisture-resistant, timber, and other products gain strength through periodic or prolonged contact with water. Therefore, aspen materials are suitable for the construction of wet rooms.
• Resistant to abrasion of surfaces after drying and hardening.
• Contains antimicrobial substances. Therefore, insects and mold do not like aspen products. To prevent food products from spoiling, a small aspen log is placed in a tub with sauerkraut and other pickles, and utensils made from this wood are used.
• Contains phytoncides that kill microbes and partially cleanse the human respiratory tract. The sauna, built from aspen, is filled with light, fresh air.
• Does not require finishing. A room even without windows with modest lighting will be bright and cozy.
• At high-quality processing, drying does not rot when wet again.
• Has a relatively low price.

When using aspen as a building material, you will get a bathhouse that will last for several decades, increasing its performance characteristics over time.

Disadvantages of aspen logs

Disadvantages that must be taken into account when choosing raw materials for construction:

• High shrinkage rate. Fresh aspen logs shrink by 40–50% after drying. Therefore, you should buy seasoned wood.
• Moisture resistance is relative: often mature trees have a rotten trunk. You can't make timber from them. If you miss a defect, the bathhouse will rot in the first few years.
• In some regions, trunks do not meet quality standards. This makes it difficult to procure raw materials: it takes more time to find solid, usable wood. A top up to 4.5 m long is often used.

Aspen materials undergo a forced drying process using water hammer. Moisture leaves the raw material slowly, this promotes uniform settling of fibers without the formation of deformations and cracks.

• Specific smell of wood fumes. The problem is solved by finishing the walls with another type of material.
• You need to be careful when cutting recesses for logs with your own hands: all wood materials are susceptible to cracking if handled improperly. Cutting “in the paw” is preferable and safer than knocking out the “bowl” in this regard.

How not to make a mistake when choosing

Construction of a bathhouse should begin with the right choice raw materials. Signs of a good timber:

• The length of the workpiece does not exceed 4.5 meters. For log houses, the top of a relatively mature tree (40–50 years old) is taken. This part of the trunk stays intact longer and has few knots.
• Pay attention to the cut points. The core on both sides should be intact, dense, without signs of rotting.

• Geography of production - within the middle latitudes of Russia, preferably in humid areas.

If the tree was cut down in a swampy area and is of good quality, then the timber will gain strength faster.

How to prepare a log house with your own hands

Aspen is cut at the root from February to April, when the buds swell on the tree. Harvesting occurs in the second half of spring, from April to May.

The felled tree is stacked and left for initial drying. Leaves bloom on the branches over time. They take away excess moisture from the base. After the branch has formed, the knots are removed. The prepared log is left in shady place for a year. During this period, compaction and uniform drying of the wood occurs. In order for the process to be carried out correctly, the ends of the trunks are covered with clay. This will slow down the evaporation of moisture.

The material will be ready in a year and a half.

What to make internal structures from

Treated boards made of any wood are suitable for making shelves, entrance doors, and intersection doors.

The material is also useful for lining the floor and ceiling.

How to build

Before you begin assembling the bathhouse, you need to create a project for the future structure. To do this, it is not necessary to contact specialists; you can make your own diagrams with designations of the dimensions of structures and openings. Several rooms should be provided: a sauna, a washing room, a dressing room. If conditions do not allow, the steam room and sink are combined into one space.

Work process:

1. A concrete or stone foundation is covered with 2 layers of bitumen-based polymer waterproofing.
2. The prepared log house is assembled. If the timber or log was prepared without taking into account the door ones, window openings, make appropriate holes while assembling the wall.

1. They cover the roof and install the stove.
2. Install windows and doors. To make the latter, a thickened board is used for better heat retention. Height doorways should not exceed 1.7 m, threshold - 30 cm.
3. They cover the ceiling and lay the floor along joists using moisture-resistant insulation material.
4. A sauna requires the presence of benches or shelves. To construct the latter, a frame of beams is installed and sheathed with boards.
5. If necessary, the walls are covered with clapboard. Painting and impregnation of aspen boards is not required.

Aspen has many properties. But not every builder will be happy if he receives an order to build a building from this tree.

Positive properties of aspen

However, it's not all bad. Aspen also has positive traits, thanks to which it can be used in construction.

First positive attribute aspen - good strength. If the wood is well dried, then in this very important indicator it can even be compared with concrete. And over time, the aspen building only gets stronger, becoming heavier.

Another equally important positive property of aspen is moisture resistance and, accordingly, resistance to rotting. If the tree itself grows in humid environment and because of this it inevitably rots right during its growth, then its wood can withstand for quite a long time negative impact moisture. If dried aspen boards accidentally fall into a humid environment, they may temporarily lose their properties. But then, when they become dry again, all the lost properties will be restored.

Another positive property of aspen is its ability to emit a pleasant aroma. It is less tart than the smell coniferous trees, and does not increase when the air in the room is heated. Therefore, bathhouses are often built from aspen, and the walls of the steam room are lined with aspen boards.

And finally, one cannot help but mention the low price of aspen lumber. True, there is also more expensive aspen, related to high class, and not everyone can afford it.

Negative properties of aspen

Often professionals even refuse to work if they know that they will have to deal with aspen. After all, many properties of wood of this species are negative.

First of all, it is worth mentioning such a negative property as the excessive amount of moisture contained in the structure. The core of the aspen trunk, as a rule, rots because of this. Moreover, the process of decay occurs even before the tree is cut down. But this is just the beginning of all the problems. When delving deeper into the processing process, it turns out that only the top of the tree trunk is suitable for this. It can reach a length of four meters. The same moisture contained in the structure makes aspen wood dry out. As a result, one edged board has a very large weight.

In any case, if a person chooses to build his house or for repair work Aspen wood, then more than half of the purchased boards will have to be simply thrown away, since they will not be suitable for work at all. Many of them will be crooked. And only a small percentage of aspen boards can be subjected to further processing.

Today, new materials obtained through physicochemical synthesis are being used in various fields of industry. In this regard, some experts argue that wood will lose its position as a valuable material for construction needs, furniture production, etc. Such statements are, at the very least, groundless. Wood of many species has very valuable properties. We undertake to prove this using the example of wood, the name of the species of which has become the talk of the town - aspen.

The demand for wood is constantly increasing. Thus, during the construction of modern buildings made of brick, concrete, metal and glass, interior decoration much more wood is used than was used for the construction of residential and industrial buildings at a time when wooden housing construction dominated the construction market.

Building structures made from various types of wood, including aspen, in some assortments are practically not inferior in fire resistance to metal structures. For example, in thick wooden beams, due to the charring of their surface, the fire spreads slowly. Iron, when heated to 500 °C, loses half of its strength, and deformations in its crystal structure, resulting from large expansion, often cause catastrophic collapses and destruction of buildings.

Wood species such as pine, oak, hornbeam, cedar, and birch are rightfully considered valuable finishing and building materials. For pulp and paper production, spruce is, not without reason, one of the best types of raw materials.

But what about the use of aspen? Why, in the traditions of pre-revolutionary, then Soviet and, finally, post-Soviet practical forestry, aspen plantations are considered ballast, and aspen wood is not even used for firewood? Before answering this question, let us turn to the history of the use of aspen and consider its biological properties.

Areas of application for aspen

Domes of temples in Ancient Rus' covered with aspen
shingles or ploughshares - small aspen
planks, which were separately hewn with an ax.
Aspen wood fit tightly rounded
the surface of the domes swelled during rain, did not
allowing water to penetrate between the joints. Depending
Aspen planks change appearance when illuminated. At
in the bright sun the ploughshare silvers and shines, in cloudy
the day has a matte steel tint, at sunset
takes on a pinkish tint. Famous sample
of such construction, one of the few surviving
to this day, - Kizhi.

Surely many people know that aspen is popularly called the “Judas tree”, and that an aspen stake is a surefire remedy against vampires. True, there are serious doubts about the aspen tree on which Judas allegedly hanged himself. After all, this tree does not grow in Palestine, and the trembling of aspen leaves in the wind is caused not by horror at the memory of the traitor, but by the special structure of the leaf petioles. But let's move on to more prosaic things and talk about those natural properties aspens, which are simply irreplaceable in some areas.

Aspen wood is widely used for the production of barrels and containers for those food products into which impurities cannot be allowed to enter. Aspen was widely used in the past and is now in the production of various consumer products - furniture, window frames, dishes, gardening tools, toys, jewelry and other products, there is no point in listing them completely. Forestry scientist B.A. Kunitsky back in 1888, in the article “Botanical and silvicultural characteristics of aspen with notes on its use,” published in the yearbook of the St. Petersburg Forestry Institute in 1888, wrote: “All furniture makers of the Apraksin market make drawers in tables and cabinets made of aspen wood and they assure that it will never thump.” Aspen has long been used in construction. The strength and durability of aspen buildings gives us the opportunity to see monuments wooden architecture, which have survived to this day from ancient times.

In the article mentioned above, Kunitsky wrote about a house made of aspen on the estate of the St. Petersburg scientist P. N. Verekha: “It stood for over 100 years, was broken, and the wood, except lower crowns, was so strong that it was difficult to give in to an ax.” And the forestry scientist N. P. Nesterov, in the article “The Importance of Aspen in Russian Forestry,” published in “Izvestia of the Petrovsky Agricultural and Forestry Academy” in 1887, noted the following fact: “In the Kursk province, peasants had barns and cages built from aspen 150 years each."

According to forestry scientist Kunitsky, in the Oryol province of the late 19th century, even where pine predominated in the forests, they preferred to build houses from aspen, since its wood is practically resistant to wormholes. Aspen wood in a dry state has high elasticity and in this indicator surpasses not only conifers- pine, spruce, larch, but also deciduous trees - oak, ash, hornbeam, poplar, etc. Beams and rafters made of aspen bend much less than, for example, oak, and at the same time are much lighter. Aspen boards are distinguished by their whiteness, so builders willingly use them for laying floors and ceilings. Aspen wood, when in contact with water after drying, does not collapse, but becomes even stronger, therefore in Russia it was traditionally used for the manufacture of shingles for roofs, water pipes, and for finishing cellars and building baths. Nesterov noted in 1887 that “the juice that appears on the surface of shingles from raw material, when dried, makes it seem to be varnished, due to which the shingles roll off faster and better.” rainwater" When heated to 100 °C, aspen does not emit resin like conifers, and also does not heat up much like birch, oak or beech wood, therefore it is the best material for the construction and finishing of saunas and baths. Professor M. E. Tkachenko, in his monograph “Forest Science” (1964), points out that aspen sleepers impregnated with antiseptics are stronger than pine and spruce sleepers. Unlike reinforced concrete, wooden sleepers laid at the base of the railway track are elastic, preserving rolling stock and providing comfort to train passengers. Aspen is used for mine racks in mines when closed method production

Plants - aspen regenerants obtained by the method
microcloning

Aspen has gained wide popularity as the best raw material in the world for the match industry, and therefore is valued on the world market along with some hardwoods. Aspen is ideal for the production of matches because it is easy to process and absorbs well. chemical composition, holds the match head, does not smoke and gives White color flame.

In the United States and Canada, aspen is the main commercial species - so important that these countries have forestry regulations for the destruction of spruce undergrowth in order to preserve aspen. Such attention to aspen is associated with the construction of houses and the production of furniture from chipboard, fiberboard, OSB, etc. - the addition of aspen sawdust or wood chips increases the strength properties of wood boards and plastics. It is from aspen wood that excellent quality plywood is obtained, used in various branches of construction and industry.

Aspen is also successfully used for paper production. And although paper made from spruce raw materials is considered more durable, aspen also has advantages over spruce. For example, aspen cellulose gives paper softness and plumpness and is added to printing papers to improve their absorption of printing inks. The following advantages make it possible to successfully use aspen wood for the production of cellulose:

• softness, making it easy to process both mechanically and chemically;
• absence of dyes, ensuring the whiteness of the resulting product;
• good permeability to acids and alkalis during processing.

These properties make it possible to obtain good bleached pulp from aspen, which has the strength of kraft pulp. Therefore, many specialists in the pulp and paper industry, not without reason, believe that raw materials from aspen wood are an excellent basis for the production of printed paper premium grades. Paper made from aspen is characterized by high quality, strength and whiteness.

Aspen wood is also used for the production of artificial silk, celluloid, plastics, and as a raw material for dry distillation for the production of methyl alcohol, acetone and other products. The texture of aspen is inexpressive. Since the late and early wood of the annual layers almost do not differ in properties, when using tinting and coloring compounds, texture elements do not appear. Plywood made from aspen veneer processed by the thermomechanical method (pressure at elevated temperatures) meets the requirements of GOST 3916.1−96 for birch plywood in terms of physical and mechanical properties.

During processing, the yield of resin (tar) from aspen raw materials is higher than from other hardwoods and even spruce.

Aspen wood, in comparison with wood of other species, when distilled, produces coal with a maximum content of pure carbon - 85.92% and the heat of combustion of dry coal - 7853 cal. For pine wood these figures are 80.35% and 7519 cal., and for birch wood - 76.79% and 7278 cal. Aspen charcoal is soft, light and technical specifications valued in metallurgical industry higher than coal produced from other wood species. Aspen firewood is indispensable when cleaning chimneys. It is enough to heat the stove with them several times, and heavily polluted chimney pipes are cleared of soot and become glossy.

Aspen bark is used for tanning thin skins, aspen greens are used in extractive production to produce carotene, chlorophyll, and vitamin pastes. Aspen bark and woody greens serve as raw materials for many medicines. Aspen forests can help expand the food supply for large and small livestock in livestock farming.

Biological features of aspen

Aspen and spruce, planted at the same time,
age - 3.5 years

Aspen, common aspen, or trembling poplar (lat. Populus tremula), belongs to the species deciduous trees from the poplar genus, willow family.

Almost all of Europe and Asia, as well as Northern part Africa (Algeria) represent the natural distribution area of ​​aspen. But not everywhere in the areas where it grows, aspen exists in such a life form as a tree. In unfavorable conditions, it can take the form of a second-sized tree or shrub. Aspen reaches its northern limit in its distribution in Norway and reaches 70° N. w. Aspen is also found in Sweden - in the form of admixtures to coniferous forests, in Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, mountain forests of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, on the islands of Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, Hungary, Poland, the Baltic states and Finland. However, aspen is most common in Russian forests, in the zone between 53 and 60° N. sh., where it is characterized by better growth.

In Russia, aspen can be found in forests from the North to the Caucasus and from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. In terms of timber reserves, it is in second place among deciduous species. Aspen wood reserves in Russia, according to different sources, vary from 1.6 to 2.6 billion m3, and the annual increase is 2.9−3.3 m³ (in optimal conditions up to 8−9) per hectare. The area of ​​aspen plantations is 18.5 million hectares, the annual growth in class 1 plantations is 53.6−61.1 million m 3 .

Aspen often occupies a predominant position in the forest stand, but is even more often found as an admixture in coniferous forests. This is a fast-growing breed, it reproduces well both by seeds, shoots (from dormant buds), and root shoots, as a result of which it is one of the first to renew itself in clearings and occupies a dominant position.

Aspen is not demanding on climatic conditions; it grows in both very cold and rather hot and dry areas. But it is demanding on the soil: it grows well on sandy, clay, fresh loamy soils, as well as on fresh, rich nutrients sands. On dry rocky and sandy soils, as well as on marshy soils, it dies out quite quickly. With regard to the genetic type of soil, its adaptability is very wide: it grows on podzolic soils, and on gray forest loams, and on chernozem, it even tolerates a certain degree of salinity, and develops well on alluvial soils of floodplains and on silt-humus soils.

Sometimes, under favorable growth conditions, aspen reaches 50–100 cm in height already in the first year of life. The rapid growth of aspen continues until about 50-60 years, after which it stops quite abruptly. Individual trees in favorable growth conditions they reach 35 m in height and 100 cm in diameter. Aspen forms a slender full-woody trunk, which is easily cleared of branches in a dense forest stand. Unfortunately, a major biological disadvantage of aspen is the exceptional susceptibility of tree stands to heart rot disease. The branches are very fragile, easily broken off by the wind, ice, etc., which contributes to the infection of the tree with fungi. The trunks are damaged by hares and other rodents gnawing on the bark. This kind of damage, as well as breaking off branches and various injuries of mechanical origin, very often lead to infection with fungi, mainly Phellinus tremulae. Aspen's resistance to the spread of rot is extremely weak, and by the age of 80, rot has spread so much in the forest stand and the wood is destroyed to such an extent that strong winds break off the trunks. As a result of all this, very few trees 100-120 years old remain in the forest.

Properties and characteristics of aspen

Table 1. Aspen moisture conductivity coefficients compared
with other types of wood

Aspen belongs to the disseminated vascular, coreless, mature tree species. Its wood is white, sometimes with a greenish tint. The annual layers are poorly visible. The medullary rays are not visible. The central part of the trunk (ripe wood) differs from the peripheral part in higher humidity, but they are indistinguishable in color.

Macrostructure of aspen wood: the average number of annual layers per centimeter of cross section in trees from the central regions of the European part of Russia is 5.4. Aspen wood has a high uniform density. The size of micro-irregularities (during finishing) ranges from 30 to 100 microns.

Freshly cut aspen has a moisture content of about 82%. The maximum humidity of aspen during water absorption is 185%. The moisture content of aspen wood increases significantly from the butt part of the trunk to the top. Hydraulic conductivity coefficients of aspen at different temperatures in comparison with the coefficients for other breeds are given in table. 1.

Aspen is a medium-drying species. The coefficients of swelling (shrinkage) of its wood are as follows: in the radial direction - 0.15; in tangential - 0.30; volumetric - 0.47.

The swelling pressure is 0.87 MPa (radial) and 1.02 MPa (tangential). The average density of aspen at a humidity of 12% is 495 kg/m3, in an absolutely dry state - 465 kg/m3, base density - 410 kg/m3.

Aspen, by its properties, is a moderately saturated species. Aspen wood is soft, homogeneous, and is close in strength to linden wood.

From the “Handbook of Mechanical Properties of Wood” - tensile strength (average values): with static bending - 76.5 MPa; when stretched along the fibers - 121 MPa; when compressed along the fibers - 43.1 MPa; when splitting along the radial plane - 6.15 MPa; when splitting along a tangential plane - 8.42 MPa. Modulus of elasticity at static bending - 11.2 GPa. Long-term load resistance is satisfactory. The coefficient of reduction in strength properties within 104 days is 0.750 (for comparison: for pine - 0.626, for spruce - 0.698). The impact strength of aspen is 84.6 kJ/m2.

Hardness: end - 25.8 N/mm 2; radial 18.7 N/mm 2; tangential - 19.6 N/mm 2. The wear resistance (abrasion) of aspen wood can be assessed as low.

Aspen bends well and lends itself to other types of processing, and is easily painted and polished. The coefficient used to calculate cutting forces (relative to pine) is 0.85 for aspen. Its wood peels well. The resistance to pulling out fasteners (nails and screws) is low, almost the same as that of linden.

In relation to the biostability of linden sapwood, the resistance of mature aspen wood is 1.2, sapwood - 1.0 (for comparison: oak - 5.2, larch - 9.1).

Prospects for the use of aspen

However, when studying mature and overmature forest stands untouched by felling, scientists found that aspen can live up to 250 years! Occasionally, in aspen forests affected by heart rot, small clumps of healthy aspen are found. Such cases are explained by special external conditions growth and the presence of resistant varieties of aspen, that is, ecotypes that are immune to heart rot.

Thus, the propagation of valuable healthy aspen as a fast-growing species, in the opinion of many foresters, is a task of paramount importance. In this regard, the search for fast-growing (giant) forms of aspen resistant to heart rot in natural conditions is of undoubted interest. The famous forest scientist A. S. Yablokov found in Kostroma region giant aspen and conducted experiments on its cultivation. The gigantic forms of triploid aspen selected in nature differ rapid growth, high quality wood and increased resistance to root and core rot.

Aspen is propagated artificially by planting seedlings and root cuttings cut from thin (up to 10 mm) surface roots. However traditional methods Reproduction of triploid giant forms is labor-intensive and often ineffective.

At the St. Petersburg Research Institute forestry, in the tissue culture laboratory of the Department of Forest Resources Reproduction, research is being conducted and technologies have been developed for obtaining triploid aspen seedlings resistant to fungal attack using microcloning.

The essence of the method is this: genetic material is taken from resistant forms of gigantic aspen, and with the help of microcloning under sterile conditions the plant is propagated, for example, to several thousand copies. At the same time, the properties of the subsidiaries and mother plants identical. Tests carried out planting material, obtained by microcloning, allowed us to propose technological schemes planting seedlings of triploid aspen.

They are promising for plantation accelerated forest growing. The experience of Sweden and Finland has shown that with this method of forest growing sustainable triploid aspen, it is possible to obtain healthy wood for pulpwood assortments within 12–14 years after planting. The use of plantation accelerated forest growing of sustainable triploid aspen will satisfy the high demand for wood on the market and at the same time preserve valuable coniferous forests that perform biosphere functions.

Prepared by Anton KUZNETSOV

The properties of aspen are varied, but as a specialist in this industry, I am only interested in construction properties. This will be discussed in this article.

Starting to describe and characterize aspen as building material(edged board, timber) I’ll start with the fact that many builders who build wooden houses dislike and try to avoid this type wood, because aspen has a number of negative properties. The negative properties are as follows:

Usually this type wood growing in Middle Zone RF in a wetland, or in an area where there is a lot of moisture. Hence, aspen has very high humidity and, as a rule, in most cases, a rotten texture (core). Select 1 for sawing? grading aspen is very difficult, because out of ten trees only one is not rotten and is ready for sawing and further processing. A cube of freshly sawn edged boards and timber weighs 1:1 or 1 m3 = 1000 kg and is very heavy when loaded. This becomes especially obvious when loading timber, say 150x150x6000mm. On
This is where the vices of aspen do not end, but are just beginning.

For in-depth processing, only the crown of the entire tree trunk, only 3 to 4.5 m long, is suitable, since the core has not yet had time to rot and has few knots. It is for this reason that you will never find aspen paneling 6m long.
Due to its humidity, aspen has a very high shrinkage coefficient and reaches about 40%. Cube dry edged aspen weighs about 500-600 kg. Based on my own experience, I will say that any drying of edged boards and aspen beams is a lottery (natural or chamber, it makes no difference) because 60% and maybe all 80% of the boards will definitely be rejected because they will definitely be pulled or twisted? , i.e. they will be crooked. Only 20%-40% of the board remains ready for further processing. There is even a pattern: the longer the board, the greater the likelihood that this event will occur.
When building, say, a roof (sheathing) where 25mm thick edged boards are used, builders prefer to work with pine board and this is understandable because what will happen to the roof after a little time when the aspen sheathing boards are unscrewed does not need to be explained; I think the example with the rafter part of the roof is not worth disassembling.
These are, in fact, all the main reasons why builders avoid working with aspen as a building material.

Let us turn to the origins of Russian Construction Architecture, history wood construction dates back more than one thousand years. After all, just a century ago there were no such huge drying chambers, chainsaws and sawmills. The work was painstaking and time-consuming, construction workers were less selfish, were not familiar with modern technologies and all the work was done by hand (from procurement, processing to construction). Consequently, the craftsmen understood more about how and what kind of wood they need to work with, and what approach this or that wood needs. It is for this reason that knowledge was passed on to the master? through hands? with experience or by inheritance?from father to son?, so this profession was respected and in demand throughout Holy Russia.

Properties of aspen edged boards:

* the material is very durable, and when dry it practically has the properties of concrete (monolith). With age this material It only gains its weight, i.e. it becomes stronger. Anyone who has worked with dry aspen can tell you how often you need to sharpen a chainsaw chain (it gets stuck in the dense texture of the wood, the chips are very large, and fly off in flakes the size of “popcorn”), and how difficult it is to work with an ax or hammer. That is why selected, large, dry aspen was used in the manufacture of interfloor ceilings and roof trusses.

Example:
I myself was not familiar with this property of aspen until I was 25 years old. Until I started converting the roof of my parents’ house from a gable roof to a sloping roof. I decided to saw through the rafters with a regular hacksaw. After sawing a little, I realized that neither I nor the tool were suitable for this job. Later, I learned from my grandfather that the rafter part was made from 150x50 edged aspen and cost about 30 years. When asked how he dared to put aspen on rafter part. It was clearly explained to me in Russian that before this board was put on the rafters, it went through “natural selection?” That is, the board in a stack lay on pads for six months and dried out, after which the normal boards went into use and the boards that were used were used for rough work.

* the material is not afraid of moisture, and being in a humid environment is not subject to rotting; in addition, once in a natural dry environment, it restores all its properties.

Here's a clear example:
I had aspen boards laid in the lower rows of the stack almost on the ground itself and lay for about 2 years in the open air. I couldn’t get to them due to the fact that the goods are constantly renewed. Having taken them out and laid them out in the sun, they turned white and took on the same shade as they were when they were brought to me.
That is why it is used to make tables, chairs, benches, wells, floorings that will be located all year round open air.

* having gone through all the stages of sorting and processing, Russian craftsmen used, as strange as it sounds, in flooring (shingles). Even unplaned aspen in good sunny weather has a silvery white tint. And in the rays of the sun it shimmers like paint? Silver metallic? (this can be seen in the photo of the well frame). Those who haven’t seen it, are you welcome to visit the city’s open-air museum? Suzdal, where houses and churches of wooden Russian architecture from all over Russia are collected.

* has a subtle pleasant smell that is not tart? like pine needles and does not hit the nose with its sharpness when the temperature rises. It is for this reason that aspen and not pine needles are used to decorate a steam room or build a bathhouse.

* very cheap, due to its widespread growth. At the moment, the price for 1 m3 of ordinary edged aspen boards in Moscow is 3900-4200 rubles, while pine needles do not exceed 5500 rubles. for 1 m3. Mainly used for rough work, formwork, scaffolding, subflooring. Selected aspen is very expensive and is probably not worth comparing with pine needles.

* aspen firewood used as a chimney cleaner. That is, they remove the soot. And they are often or usually mixed with birch fagots.

Based on the above, I strongly recommend that the first crowns of a log house (timber or chopped log) be made from aspen. It is expensive, and it will take a lot of time to find the right aspen in sufficient quantities, but it is necessary, because this house will outlive you and will go to your children without major repairs.

LLC "TorgLes" Sergey

Aspen wood is quite soft and dense. It can be easily processed with a sharp tool; it can be sawed, milled, peeled and cut. Gluing is also easy, the connection with nails is satisfactory. The surface of aspen is easy to process, but at the same time difficult to polish.

Aspen materials are marketed in the form of round timber, shavings and lumber. Despite the relatively low price, edged aspen boards have undeniable advantages. If the wood of an aspen edged board is dried and processed according to all the rules, then products made from it will be very durable. This board is moisture resistant and has light shade. This material is not subject to warping and is resistant to splitting and cracking. Due to these properties, edged aspen boards are used in the production of furniture, floors, and in the finishing of baths, steam rooms and saunas. In addition, aspen floors do not burn your feet in a hot steam room. Aspen boards are not susceptible to rotting and mold.

During construction, log houses are opened best quality aspens like wood material. Having built, for example, a bathhouse, the owners will be satisfied, because the bathhouse will become practical and aesthetically pleasing. Aspen material is characterized by increased resistance to steam and wetting. Even under conditions of regular temperature changes, aspen does not crack like others softwood lumber. If you use special antiseptics, the service life of the log house will increase many times, even without additional repairs and maintenance. Proper processing wood protects against insects and mold for a long time.

Application area of ​​aspen wood

Light and durable dishes have long been made from aspen. To make a carved ladle or spoon, craftsmen steam the blanks in boiling water. After this, it is cut with sharp tools as easily as a turnip. They claim that cabbage soup and pickles do not turn sour in aspen dishes. Apparently, wood contains some substances that kill putrefactive bacteria. And it’s not for nothing that in some places housewives put aspen logs in sauerkraut.

Wood is also good because it lasts for a long time in water, and when dried it does not crack or warp. Therefore, from ancient times, well frames were knitted from aspen logs. You can’t find a bathhouse to build the best wood: strong and durable, retains heat well, and does not burn the body when touched - therefore there will be no need to lay a rug on the shelves. Even in areas rich in timber, they preferred to build baths from aspen, however, such preference was given to it only where aspen trees with straight trunks and healthy wood were found.

Standing aspen is short-lived, as it is quite easily affected by heart rot. Therefore, it is necessary to cut down a tree at the age of 40-45 years.

Previously, the domes and roofs of churches and other buildings were covered with aspen ploughshare (all the domes of churches in Kizhi are covered with aspen chips), which over time became silvery from the sun and rain. Such a roof is not only beautiful, but also strong, it does not rot for a long time.

An interesting incident speaks about how strong this tree can be. Not long ago in Leningrad region found a house built more than a hundred years ago from aspen. It was preserved perfectly. The ax bounced off the dry, stone-like logs with a ringing sound.

Useful tables

Hydraulic conductivity coefficients of aspen compared to other species

Indicators of density and conditional density of aspen

Density coefficient at different humidity levels

Data on the volumetric weight of aspen when its humidity changes

Characteristics of aspen wood as a source of thermal energy