Need some input on Aspen, neighbor has a tree coing down tomorrow!!

Great place to ski but you might want to wait a couple more months.

It sands badlt too. Yellow popple( big tooth aspen) carves ok, but it also shrinks badly so kerf it somewhere or a lot of cracking will occur. Also, like basswood peel the logs soon after cutting and dry them a little otherwise it will blow up. Doc

I have had the opposite experience. I got an aspen log from our colorado high country and had virtually no cracks whatsoever. Some of the log is still laying out and nearly crackless. Carved fantastic. Downside is not very big wood. Usually not more than 14 inches diameter.