American Ash

American Ash

Fraxinus spp.

The heartwood of American Ash varies from grayish or light to medium brown to pale yellow streaked with brown. The sapwood can be very wide, and tends to be very wide and is light light colored to nearly white. It is not always clearly or sharply demarcated from heartwood. The wood is generally straight-grained with a coarse uniform texture. The degree and availability of light-colored sapwood, and other properties, will vary according to the growing regions.

Availability

Readily available but current supplies are threatened by the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (for more information visit EmeraldAshBorer.info).

American Ash

Fraxinus spp.

Furniture, flooring, doors, architectural millwork and moldings, kitchen cabinets, paneling, tool handles, baseball bats, hockey sticks, billiard cues, skis, oars and turnings.

American Ash

Fraxinus spp.

Norse mythology refers to ash as “the mighty tree that supports the heavens” and “below earth its roots went down to hell.” Ash belongs to the olive family, although its only fruit is a dart-like winged seed. Admiral Richard Byrd wore snowshoes made from ash during his polar expeditions and early windmills were made from this species.

American Ash

Fraxinus spp.

Ash is a popular species for food containers because the wood has no taste. Before man-made materials took over the market, ash was the preferred wood for making tennis racquets. Various medicinal uses have been pioneered over the centuries from Ash. From boiled bark solutions being used as a laxative to use as a diuretic by the Iroquois, to the roots being utilized to treat snake bites. Some Native American tribes assigned it special medicinal value. The Seneca believed it to help with fertility.

American Ash

Fraxinus spp.

Ash machines well, is good in nailing, screwing and gluing, and can be stained to a very good finish. It dries fairly easily with minimal degrade with little movement in performance.

Janka Rating: 1320