Ernie Hunter - White Ash (Fraxinus americana)

White Ash (Fraxinus americana)
One of our better known deciduous trees, the White Ash (Fraxinus americana) stands tall. Up to eighty feet tall with a straight trunk measuring up to two feet in diameter. While the tree itself may or may not be easily recognized, the end result of some of the lumber from it will always be remembered. White ash is the primary source for baseball bats. It's straight grain, resilience and shock absorbency make it the wood of choice, not only for bats but tennis rackets, hockey sticks, polo mallets, oars and many other sports and playground equipment. A hardwood much sought after by anyone wanting a good quality, straight grained and easily worked wood.
White Ash is also used for shade trees. If it is not crowded it will grow tall and straight with a beautiful conical or rounded crown, providing shade in all directions. It will, however, cover everything with yellow pollen in early spring just before it's leaves open. This tree practices segregation as male flowers are on one tree and female ones on another. The male flowers, when viewed up close, resemble bunches of bananas in miniature. As they open, they disperse a yellow pollen that is carried, mostly, by the wind hopefully to other trees with female blossoms. When pollinated, the female flowers form keys similar to maples except the are in singles and not double keys. These winged keys are the seeds of the ash and are carried by the wind, if they're not eaten, to start new trees in new locations. They are however, a favourite food of squirrels, chipmunks, mice and many birds, and only a fraction of the thousands produced ever grow.
The bark on young trees is a smooth dark grey which becomes furrowed as it ages much like people, although we don't like to admit it! The leaves are opposite, pinnately compound with 7 to 9 ovate or elliptical, finely saw-toothed or almost smooth leaflets. These are dark green, sometimes with a purplish cast on the top and whitish green on the bottom. They turn purple or yellow in the fall.
The Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilis planipennis), an invasive Asian species of beetle, has devastated thousands of ash trees. If an infested tree is found it should be cut and burned to try to limit the spread.