Since aspen is extremely suckerous all of the "trees" in the one grouping are probably trunks of a single individual* with a shared rootstock that they are all coming from, just like a clump of iris - you could probably cut the broken trunk off at the ground and would not be cutting down an actual, separate tree at all. Otherwise at some point in the future the replacement top(s) coming from the side of the existing break may tear loose also, putting you back to having a broken "tree" with part of the top gone. Another consideration is that trees of this nature can be poor about closing and surviving large wounds, possibly over time the trunk below the existing break may just be going to rot out and fail. *Periodically aspens covering acres make the news when genetic testing reveals the whole stand is one tree with thousands of trunks; a heath family plant native to the southeast US that slowly creeps over a large area during the course of centuries, and expansive honey fungus (Armillaria) colonies have also been recognized and publicized

Hi there I love quaking aspens too but I planted Chinese Tallow trees instead. It has the same heart shaped leaf. Now is the time to buy them because you can pick out the fall color - they vary from yellow to burgundy. My neighbor has cottonwood trees on their back fence line - you might want to read about them before you plant. They are beautiful trees but don't put them too close to the house. Hope this helps.

Uh oh. That's a problem. 70' would look ridiculous. We have a fantastic arborist friend of ours. I think I'll have Bob prune them in that case. Another option would be to cut them down and start over. Unlike other trees, Aspens are really easy to take down without creating a danger to structures. I'm able to get 4' high sapling aspens in town for only $25 each. They put on two feet a year. We learned too late, but last year when we had them ground treated with a systemic that kills aphids, the guy said do NOT water them. They're like Gremlins (the movie). If they get water, they grow super fast. Thanks for the advice. Oh.. almost forgot; Yeah, when I said "top" I was thinking of just nibbling off the top one foot. Just enough to send the signal to the tree to stop growing up. I agree that taking off 5 or 10 feet would look really bad. - T

You always want to remove all the leaves from a fresh cutting so they don't draw all the moisture out of the body of the cutting. It's going to need that sap to grow roots. These are some useful things I've learned in rooting plumeria cuttings: 1. Root in the growing season. Spring is best but summer works, too. 2. Water the mother plumeria tree well the day before cutting. (If it's a cutting from someone else's tree, the healthier it is the more likely it is to root.) 3. Callus the cutting at least a week. In other words, let the cut end dry out and harden. (All leaves should be removed immediately after cutting.) 4. Use a clear container for rooting, then you can actually see those roots! 5. Coir and perlite seem to be the materials least likely to cause rot. 6. Put the cutting in shade outside. The clear container will create sunburn if not in shade. Water only once, when you put the cutting in the container. 8. Forget it exists for the next two months. Seriously, FORGET it! Don't touch it, don't move it, don't water it. (Rain won't hurt it in my experience, but tap water is another story.) Hopefully after 1-2 months the leaves will begin growing back and you'll know the rooting process has begun.