Ash, Green (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and White (Fraxinus americanus)

Both green and white ash are popular trees in Nebraska due to their adaptability and beautiful fall foliage. In fact, ash is popular throughout the contry, with an extensive natural range from the furthest reaches of Nova Scotia and Florida in the east to eastern Minnesota and eastern Texas in the west.

Both green and white ash can reach heights of more than 50 feet. They grow best on rich, moist, well-drained soils. Ash wood is strong and resistant to shock. It is used for tool handles, oars, and baseball bats (yes bats are still made from real wood.) The winged seeds (called a samara) provide food for many kinds of birds.

In 2002, emerald ash borer, a highly invasive (non-native) insect that attacks and kills all native species of ash trees, was discovered in the Detroit area. Since then, emerald ash borer (EAB) has spread throughout Michigan (both the upper and lower peninsulas) and into Indiana, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. EAB has also been detected in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. In these areas, EAB has killed more than 50 million ash trees.

Because of the significant threat presented by emerald ash borer (EAB), the Nebraska Forest Service no longer recommends significant planting of ash trees native to North America. This includes green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black ash (Fraxinus nigra), blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata) and white ash (Fraxinus americana). This also includes popular cultivars, such as 'Patmore' green ash and 'Autumn Purple' white ash.

For more detailed information, please read the NFS Position on Ash.

For information about identifying ash trees, click here.

For information about identifying emerald ash borer, click here.

You can also check out a list of FAVORITE TREES according to the folks on our listserve who plant and work with trees within their respective communities.  Click HERE!

For a list of recommended species, see ReTree Nebraska's Nine for 2009, a group of best-in-show species that grow well in Nebraska but are frequently underplanted.