Ash trees are easy to spot by their unique diamond-patterned bark. Their wood is incredibly versatile due to its flexibility, making it an excellent resource for a variety of projects. In the twentieth-century, ash wood was popular in the manufacturing of baseball bats but now we use it for carpentry projects in our homes. The ash tree is a vital part of the ecosystem where it grows. For example, in the forest, the ash tree serves as a habitat as well as a food source for lots of wildlife. In the wetlands, fish feed off of ash leaves, while in the woods, white-tailed deer and rabbits feed off the bark of young ash trees. Up in the canopy, birds eat ash seeds and nest in the safety of its branches. The ash tree is vital our ecosystem because wildlife and humans rely on its resources.
Both Indigenous and Native to Massachusetts, the ash tree has been used as a medicine and resource for hundreds of years. Indigenous communities like the Abnaki, Cherokee, and Chippewa all have unique relationships with ash trees. The bark and leaves of the tree were used by the Abnaki as a menstrual aid to induce a period and stimulate flow. Members of the Cherokee used the tree as a tonic for an upset stomach or liver. The Chippewa and Abnaki used flexible ash wood for craftsmanship such as fishing rods as well as snowshoe frames (Native American ethnobotany database).
The Kinney Center’s rare book library offers a window onto the long histories of human relationships with ash trees. John Gerard’s Generall Historie of Plantes (1633) emphasizes the medicinal uses of the ash tree. Taken with wine, the leaves on an ash tree eased pain in the spleen and liver and comforted an upset stomach. Due to its filling properties, ash tree leaves were commonly used as a remedy for weight loss. John Evelyn, also provides practical and medicinal uses for the tree in his book Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber (1679). He writes that an oil secreted by the ash tree was a cure for hearing impairment as well as pain in the kidneys and spleens. It could also ease toothaches. Although it was not preferred over white oak, ash tree wood was also commonly used to build houses and furniture.
As ash trees have helped humans across centuries, we must now help the ash trees. The biggest threat to the ash tree is an insect no larger than a penny, but don't be deceived by its size, the emerald ash borer (EAB) has decimated ash trees throughout the world, especially in the US. Introduced to the US in 2002, likely through wood packaging containers from Asia, the EAB destroys the tissue of the tree by tunneling underneath the bark, making snake-like pathways through the tissues called “serpentine galleries”. Since this deformity is below the surface and not readily visible, it can be difficult to spot before it's too late. Luckily, there are other stressors we can identify to assess if an ash tree is suffering. Canopy thinning, early yellowing leaves, and woodpecker activity may indicate that the EAB is present in the tree. The strongest visible evidence of an EAB is the ‘D’ shaped exit holes that the beetle makes when leaving the trees.
Unfortunately, the emerald ash borer has inhabited most ash trees in the US but protective measures are underway to protect ash trees. In Massachusetts, for example, ash tree lumber transportation is closely monitored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to minimize the spread of larvae. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation has implemented a trapping program to monitor new ash borer populations and better understand the beetle. Monitoring individual ash trees in your area helps foresters identify the beetle and early action helps aid prevention. If you are worried about a tree, contact a certified arborist or tree care expert to assess the best course of action.
Understanding our past relationship with ash trees helps further our knowledge about stewardship of the land in the future. If we lose the ash trees, we will lose another aspect of what makes our ecosystem diverse. Without biodiversity, any species is more susceptible to disease and could result in our forests becoming weaker with every generation. Although it is inevitable for tree species to face danger, humans have the power and knowledge to protect them. Knowing the challenges that ash trees face now, we must take time to protect them so we can keep these ecosystems alive.
Melanie Morgan, RoE Fellow
References:
Akabelowsky, A. (2024b, September 16). Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed In All 72 Counties. Wisconsin DNR Forestry News.
Emerald Ash Borer: Arbor day foundation. Emerald Ash Borer | Arbor Day Foundation.
Emerald Ash Borer. City of O’Fallon, Missouri.
Emerald Ash Borer in Massachusetts. Mass.gov.
Emerald Ash Borer - profile. Invasive Species Centre. (2024, August 26).
Evelyn, J. (1679). Sylva. John Martyn.
Gerard, J. (1633). Herball. Spring Books.
Native american ethnobotany database. BRIT.
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