Educate me 'bout ash trees

[Whitespider]

I'm about done cutting the oak in my woodlot, planning on leaving the prettier, healthier, straighter growing.
But I have a lot of ash trees, and they could use some thinning.
Most of the ash have grown straight and tall, putting the branches, buds and leaves 50-foot or better above my head (and there ain't any leaves this time of year anyway).
According to my investigation we have White, Green and Black Ash common to Northeast Iowa...
I've been trying to determine what species I have growing in my woodlot... I believe Black Ash is unlikely, and I'm leaning towards White Ash.
Over the years it's become second nature for me to identify the different species of elm simply by examining the bark, but ash isn't something I've spent any time cutting (except for an occasional sacrifice when falling oak and elm).
Is there a way to identify ash species by examining the bark on trees 10-30 inches in diameter? Or do I need twigs, buds and leaves? Not that it matters much... I'd just like to know before I go ta' cutting them down.

 

[LumberjkChamp]

Well....I don't have any experience with any other Ash except the White variety. There should be some subtle differences in the appearance of the bark (such as the depth, texture and severity of the furrows). Just as you did with Elm you should be able to learn them in no time and be able to identify with accuracy in the winter the different species.

The pic. you posted in your big Maple thread of the snagged Ash is that of a White Ash. White Ash is my favorite firewood. I could cut it exclusively for the rest of my life and I would not feel the least bit short-changed.

I am sorry if this has not competely answered your question but I hope it might have helped.

 

[Peacock]

Great firewood! Will burn green quite well. Even in summer. Splits easy. Usually very predictable to fell. Coals nicely and even makes a good overnight wood.

I'd bet 90% or better of the ash trees you'll find are white ash.

 

[Encore]

Like the others have said, most I've run into has been white ash but it's great firewood. I've never tried burning it green but it certainly looks and feels (weight) ready to burn very soon after splitting.

I'm actually about to start in on some ash in the next week or so as I work through my stacks.

 

[CrappieKeith]

I can't help identifying but I can tell you my fired wood guy brought some over and some of it was fresh cut....needless to say burned slow to start...had to boil off the water then it did burn but the heat I got from it sucked.
Who ever says to burn green ash must either be really hard up or high on hemp or just not know any better.
Green wood no matter the species can not make the heat that the same wood dry can make...physics supports my last comment not hemp.

 

[Peacock]

Who ever says to burn green ash must either be really hard up or high on hemp or just not know any better.
Green wood no matter the species can not make the heat that the same wood dry can make...physics supports my last comment not hemp.

Agree it won't put out dry wood heat, but it burns amazingly well when green. Around here the stuff is about 25% mc off the stump. 2 weeks or less and it is 20% or so.

Maybe what you had had been sitting in water. lol

 

[Marc]

The trees aren't *literally* made of ash. You have to burn it first, then you get ash.

And the ash from all of them, once burned, is white (to grey). You could imagine my disappoinment the first time I burned green ash. I was going to use it for St. Patrick's day but then I learned... the name doesn't mean what you think it means.

 

[Somesawguy]

We have mostly White Ash here, so I can't help you there. It does make great firewood though. :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Whitespider]

The pic. you posted in your big Maple thread of the snagged Ash is that of a White Ash. I am sorry if this has not competely answered your question but I hope it might have helped.

Thanks, that helps a lot and confirms my initial impression of the ash trees standing in my woodlot… White Ash it is. I’ve probably 60, or more, good sized ash in the woodlot, many bigger than the snag posted in the maple thread. What makes them appealing to me is most are straight and tall, making for fast, easy cutting and splitting. Besides, variety is (as they say) the spice of life… and adding a bit of ash to the oak, maple and elm stash just makes good sense.

CrappieKeith, I won’t be burning any of it green or fresh cut… I have enough wood put up that I’ll be burning two or three year seasoned for the next few years as long as I keep cutting and stay ahead.

I also have a couple dozen cherry that are getting up there in age, some ‘round 2-feet diameter so I may harvest a few of them… makes really nice wood for the fire pit.

 

[CrappieKeith]

I had another wood guy that had nothing but ash....seasoned I had no complaints...it seemed really straight wood which loaded nice.

 

[stumpy75]

I have been burning nothing but white ash for the past few years because of the EAB in this area. I like it better than oak, because it's easier to cut and split, and it burns almost as well.

The only problem I have had around here is that the standing dead ones are very light on top, and will easily hang up when you drop them in a woods. They just don't have enough weight up top to push through much of the surrounding canopy. I've cut live ones that did not seem to have that problem though.

 

[3fordasho]

I can't help id white vs green ash by just bark or other identifiers, but in the fall when the leaves are changing there is a striking difference between white and green ash. Green ash leaves turn yellow. White ash turn yellow first then a striking purplish-red, especially around the fringes of the canopy giving the tree a two tone look, purple/red on the outside, brite yellow on the inside. One of my favorite trees for colors in the fall.

 

[ponyexpress976]

You'll get bored splitting ash...it's almost to easy. But they are a great way to make a lot of rows of stacks really fast. Watch out on those bigger cherries....If they are anything like around here, almost garaunteed to have carpenter ants making a home in there.

Sounds like you have the perfect mix on your wood lot. Little bit of everything!

 

[HD2010]

I'm about done cutting the oak in my woodlot, planning on leaving the prettier, healthier, straighter growing.
But I have a lot of ash trees, and they could use some thinning.
Most of the ash have grown straight and tall, putting the branches, buds and leaves 50-foot or better above my head (and there ain't any leaves this time of year anyway).
According to my investigation we have White, Green and Black Ash common to Northeast Iowa...
I've been trying to determine what species I have growing in my woodlot... I believe Black Ash is unlikely, and I'm leaning towards White Ash.
Over the years it's become second nature for me to identify the different species of elm simply by examining the bark, but ash isn't something I've spent any time cutting (except for an occasional sacrifice when falling oak and elm).
Is there a way to identify ash species by examining the bark on trees 10-30 inches in diameter? Or do I need twigs, buds and leaves? Not that it matters much... I'd just like to know before I go ta' cutting them down.

Try this link Whitespider. Ashes (X)

 

[Whitespider]

Thanks HD, that's the best one of those on-line ash ID pages yet... nice pictures. I'm confident now that all the trees I've identified as ash in my woodlot are of the White Ash species. Although the link you provided has me wondering about some (unidentified trees) I have growing in a low wet area on the north-west side. It has a small water-way running through it during spring/early summer, and on a wet year it will run all summer. I don't spend much time down in there because most of the trees are small(ish) and undergrowth is thick... but, your link has me wondering about black and/or green ash as a candidate, especially the picture of shaggy bark on the Black Ash.

Funny how old dogs can learn new tricks... I never even considered ash as good firewood until I joined AS, so I've never paid much attention to it. I've now also learned that all those trees I've glanced at over the years in woodlots, yards, parks and wherever, muttering, "yep, that's an ash tree" have probably all been White Ash... and I may have actually misidentified some Green and Black Ash along river bottoms as walnut?? by using a quick glance at bark and canopy in passing.

 

[4b316]

logs

I sure hope you are taking a log out of the bottoms of those oak,ash and cherry logs.For what they are worth in logs,you could get firewood,cut,split and delivered.i know here in upstate ny,a cherry log that size,even if it was a number 2 with gum and a split in the side,12 foot long,20 inches,would probably bring $2000-$2500 a thousand.Ash right now is going for upwards of $1500 for nice stuff.

 

[Chris-PA]

IMO ash is the best firewood, and I burn a lot of it as it's all dying from "ash yellows" around here (ash yellows just means they have no idea what's killing them). Oak and others may have higher output, but ash is so darn easy. Easy to split and stack, drys fast, lights quick, burns hot. Decent mass per log. The burn it green thing is overblown - it's just got lower moisture content so it dries out faster. Never pass on white ash. I consider myself spoiled and I'm very worried we'll lose it all.

However, keep your eyes open when working with it. Since a lot of the trees are dying, there are often a lot of punky branches and they tend to throw a lot of stuff down at you. I bumped a small one with the loader not long ago and got a shower of branches. Of course, that means some of it is too punky to burn too.

 

[PLAYINWOOD]

be really hard up or high on hemp ..

This is when black ash is used

 

[branchbuzzer]

However, keep your eyes open when working with it. Since a lot of the trees are dying, there are often a lot of punky branches and they tend to throw a lot of stuff down at you. I bumped a small one with the loader not long ago and got a shower of branches. Of course, that means some of it is too punky to burn too.

Yep, they start to go soft from top down. So be sure to be wearing a helmet or you might get a little pat on the head while felling one.

 

[Marc]

Yep, they start to go soft from top down. So be sure to be wearing a helmet or you might get a little pat on the head while felling one.

Here, here. Even just working near them. I cut a 24" maple a couple years ago that had a couple ash branches in its path. The ash was dead, although sometimes its hard to tell a dead ash from a live one in the winter. I got away from the stump like I usually do, and it's a good thing I did. A 4" ash limb would've clunked me on the head, and that would've been more than a little headache. Even with my hard hat on.