Abstract Basic physical properties including density, permeability, water sorption characteristics and diffusion coefficients in desorption were measured with specimens taken from for six aspen clone trees harvested in northeastern British Columbia. Results showed that there are significant differences among the clones in their specific permeability and somewhat in the heat of wetting, but very little was found among density, diffusion coefficients and desorption isotherms. These results indicate that the porous structure could be variable among clones whereas the sorption site distribution and availability might not.