Whitetail Woods

An autumn forest trapped in time, and a living canvas for a long dead emporer

All the trees within Whitetail Wood are a single quaking aspen organism interconnected at the root system, though this is unknowable at a glance. Anything capable of speaking with plants is capable of learning of goings on in distant parts of the woods, though the forest's considerable size can lead to delays in information, or outdated information being given if it's coming from far away enough.

Populus tremuloides

"Quaking aspen"

Quaking aspen is a tall, fast growing tree, usually 20–25 m (65–80 ft) at maturity, with a trunk 20 to 80 cm (8 inches to 2 feet 7 inches) in diameter. The bark is relatively smooth, colored greenish-white to gray, and is marked by thick black horizontal scars and prominent black knots. Parallel vertical scars are tell-tale signs of elk, which strip off aspen bark with their front teeth. The leaves on mature trees are nearly round, 4–8 centimeters (1 1⁄2–3 1⁄4 inches) in diameter with small rounded teeth, and a 3–7-centimeter (1 1⁄4–2 3⁄4-inch) long, flattened petiole. Young trees and root sprouts have much larger (10–20 centimeters, 4–8 in long) nearly triangular leaves. Aspens have separate male and female clones. The flowers are catkins 4–6 centimeters (1 1⁄2–2 1⁄4 in) long, produced in early spring before the leaves. The fruit is a 10-centimeter-long (4-inch) pendulous string of 6-millimeter (1⁄4-inch) capsules, each capsule containing about ten minute seeds embedded in cottony fluff, which aids wind dispersal of the seeds when they are mature in early summer. Trees as young as 2–3 years old may begin seed production, but significant output begins starting at 10 years of age. Best seed production is obtained between the ages of 50 and 70 years. Quaking aspen grows more slowly in dry conditions than it does in more humid and also lives longer—ages of 100–120 years are typical in the dry with some individuals living 200 years. In the humidity, stands decay faster, sometimes in 60 years or less depending on the region.