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House adopts bill to make the quaking aspen Utah’s state tree after lengthy debate
Summary
After extended floor debate including students and subject‑matter experts, the House voted 54–19 to replace the Colorado blue spruce with the quaking aspen as Utah's official state tree. Supporters cited statewide presence and ecological benefits; opponents raised landscaping and naming concerns.
The Utah House voted 54–19 on Feb. 19 to change the official state tree from the Colorado blue spruce to the quaking aspen (Senate Bill 41) after a prolonged floor debate.
Representative Wilson, the bill's sponsor, said the aspen is widely visible across the state and serves water‑storage and habitat roles important to Utah's landscape. "The aspen tree is a beautiful tree that covers our state," Wilson said on the floor while urging support.
Support for the change included presentations earlier in the session by schoolchildren and floor remarks from legislators who highlighted aspen ecology and Utah examples such as the Pando aspen clone near Fish Lake. Representative Briscoe and others offered anecdotes and scientific points in favor.
Opponents, including Representative Powell, read an expert letter urging caution about planting aspens in residential landscapes because of suckering, disease susceptibility and maintenance burdens; Powell said she would cast a "symbolic no" to register that concern. Representative Moss noted that the statute lists the tree as "blue spruce" and provided a brief history of the naming.
Debate also veered into lighthearted floor rhetoric and local pride, but the central arguments were ecological distribution, cultural symbolism and practical landscaping concerns. The House adopted the change and the bill will be returned to the Senate for the president's signature.
The floor exchange illustrates how state symbols can draw detailed local and scientific discussion, from school projects to extension‑service advice.
