What do you know Wednesday-Ash

Today on What do you Know Wednesday

We are going to discuss the Ash tree

Ash is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous. The genus is widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America. They are often used as shade, lawn, and street trees, and were once the most-planted urban tree across the U.S. Ash trees are dioecious trees which means that individual trees contain either male or female parts, but not both. Male trees can be chosen if you do not want the messiness of the fruit/seeds. The fruits on ash trees are similar to the winged seeds of maples, and they are usually grouped in clusters on the stem. Here are three main ash trees that are common to the North American region.

Black Ash

The wood structure of black ash can grow well in cold and wet locations. The thick gray bark becomes split cracked or scaly as the tree ages. This species of ash has 7 to 11 leaflets per compound leaf group, and the foliage turns yellow in the fall. Black Ash is one of the species of ash most devastated by emerald ash borer so experts no longer recommend planting it. Black Ash is a light to medium brown color. Sapwood can be very wide, and tends to be a beige or light brown; not always clearly or sharply demarcated from heartwood. Black Ash tends to be a bit darker in color than White Ash. The grain is almost always straight and regular, though sometimes curly or figured boards can be found. The end grain is ring-porous; large pores 2-4 rows wide and tyloses are common. Black Ash is rated as perishable, or only slightly durable in regard to decay. Ash is also NOT resistant to insect attack. Gives off a distinct, moderately unpleasant smell when being worked, and has been reported to cause skin irritation and a decrease in lung function.

Green Ash

The Green Ash is one of the most common ashes found in the landscape and is another of the species that has been severely impacted by emerald ash borer. It can grow in a wide variety of soil conditions and is especially forgiving of conditions like pollution and salt in urban areas. The gray-brown bark forms a diamond-like pattern. The medium-green leaves include 5 to 9 leaflets, turning variable shades of yellow in the fall. Green Ash is a light to medium brown color and can be very wide, and tends to be a beige or light brown. Has a medium to coarse texture similar to oak. The grain is almost always straight and regular, though sometimes curly or figured boards can be found. Heartwood is rated as perishable, or only slightly durable in regard to decay. Ash is also NOT resistant to insect attack. Gives off a distinct, moderately unpleasant smell when being worked, and has been reported to cause skin irritation and a decrease in lung function.

White Ash

White Ash is another of the more common ash trees in the U.S. White Ash has been catastrophically affected by emerald ash borer like the other ash trees. Also known as Biltmore Ash, this is the largest of the native ash trees. The bark is gray in color and develops a distinctive pattern of diamond-shaped ridges in older trees. The leaves are clusters of 5 to 9 leaflets that are dark green on top, light-green on the undersides. Fall color is a purplish yellow. Like the other ash trees, White Ash is susceptible to infestation of the emerald ash borer. White Ash is a light to medium brown color. Sapwood can be very wide and tends to be a beige or light brown. Has a medium to coarse texture similar to oak. The end grain is a ring-porous; large pores 2-4 rows wide, small pores are solitary and radial multiples. White Ash is rated as perishable, or only slightly durable in regard to decay. White Ash is also NOT resistant to insect attack. Can have a distinct, moderately unpleasant smell when being worked. White ash has been reported to cause skin irritation and a decrease in lung function.

The end of the Ash Trees might be contributed to the infestation of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) the EAB have caused the destruction of hundreds of millions of ash trees in at least 35 states. Although the beetle itself causes little damage by feeding on leaves, when its eggs hatch, the larvae enter the tree through crevices in the bark, then feed on inner tissues of the tree. This disrupts the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients, which gradually kills the tree. While efforts are underway to develop ash varieties that resist EAB, thus far there are no sure-fire options. Existing trees can be treated with pesticides to protect them.