VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Green Ash 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Green ash wood, which is heavy, hard, strong and yellowish with wide,
white sapwood, has moderately high specific gravity and a low wood
moisture content which make it a valued species for solid wood products
as well as for pulp and paper requiring hardwood fibers [46].  Crating,
boxing, handle stock and rough lumber can be obtained from
merchantable-size trees [14].  Some plants exhibit poor form, such as
crooked growth and very open tops [53], but generally apical dominance
is strong enough so that vigorous, uninjured, open grown trees have a
single, straight stem until they are 15 feet (4.6m) or more in height
[57].  In Georgia, green ash, useful for pulpwood, lumber and veneer, is
probably the most valuable commercial species adapted to the wet flats
of Piedmont bottomlands.  Because of its pioneer nature and ability to
grow rapidly in pure, even-age stands it is well-suited for plantation
management systems.  Properly established and managed plantations and
natural stands should produce high yields of fiber and quality
solid-wood products [21].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Green ash is the principle component of wooded draws in the northern
Great Plains region, providing critical habitat for many wildlife
species and protecting domestic livestock both in summer and in winter.
Domestic livestock are attracted to these green ash-dominated
communities in the summer for shade, water, late season green
vegetation, and to escape from insects; during the winter they use these
areas as thermal cover and for protection from wind.  Wooded draws
provide sites that enhance accumulation of snow which is a valuable
source of water for stockponds [7].

Green ash woodlands are considered to be important habitats for a number
of wildlife species.  They provide important year-round deer habitat for
both mule and whitetail deer, contributing both browse and shelter [25].
These areas constitute up to 50% of the critical habitat for deer
throughout much of the Great Plains [7].  Other mammal species commonly
found on native woodlands include: squirrels, coyotes, rabbits, racoons
and porcupines and several species of small mammals.  Woodland
vegetation is essential to the breeding, nesting and fledging of a
number of avian species [23].  Green ash-dominated wooded draws provide
70% of sharptail grouse habitat, and nongame birds occupy the draws in
the summer [7].  A rich diversity of invertebrate species are also
present in the woodlands, and serve as an important food source for many
species [23].


PALATABILITY : 
Generally green ash is of low palatability to all classes of livestock,
however, it is often overbrowsed by these animals in small woodlots or
around farmsteads.  Deer will browse green ash, and tend to overbrowse
when other preferred species are not available [25,53].  Dittberner and
Olson [18] rate palatability of this species as poor for cattle, sheep,
and horses in North Dakota.

Palatability for wildlife has been rated as follows [18]:

                                    CO      MT      ND

Mule deer                          ----    poor    good
White-tailed deer                  ----    poor    good
Antelope                           ----    ----    fair
Upland game birds                  ----    poor    ----
Sm nongame birds                   fair    poor    ----
Sm mammals                         ----    poor    ----


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The nutritional value of green ash is relatively low for livestock, with
a fair energy value, and a poor protein value [18].


COVER VALUE : 
Green ash is most valuable to livestock and wildlife in the extensive
prairie/plains regions where quality cover is often lacking.  The degree
to which this species provides environmental protection during one or
more seasons for wildlife species is as follows [18]:

                                  CO      MT      ND

Mule deer                        ----    fair    good
White-tailed deer                ----    good    good
Antelope                         ----    poor    ----
Upland game birds                ----    good    fair
Sm nongame birds                 good    good    fair
Sm mammals                       ----    fair    ----


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Green ash has been used to plant spoil banks resulting from strip mine
operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the Central states with
reported high survival and growth rates of up to one foot (30.5cm) per
year [57].  In the Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma area, green ash planted on
strip mined areas gave 97% survival the first year and 96% survival the
second year on shale and clay with a pH of 7.5 [14].  In this same study,
green ash had overall the highest percent survival of five native
species planted, or 63%.  In another study by Bjugstad [7], green ash
showed the highest survival of seven hardwood species reestablished on
bentonite and low-salt coal spoils in northeast Wyoming, about 44% at
the start of the third growing season.

Survival and growth of this species is good on a wide variety of sites
[14,34,51,57], but green ash does best, and is better developed on moist
sites [8,14,34].  Bjugstad [8] reports that restoration of green
ash/common chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) habitat types on coal mine
spoils is greatly increased by trickle irrigation over a two year
initiation period.  On barren spoils, green ash should be planted in
equal proportions with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) or other
hardwoods [8,14].  This species is tolerant of moderately heavy
competition from shrubs and herbs [14] and can be underplanted in black
locust stands if the ground cover is not too dense [34].

Green ash has also been used extensively in wind break plantings, rated
by Van Deusen and Cummingham [51] as the best medium- to fast-growing
windbreak species from the standpoint of its survival and adaptability.
Read [41] recommends green ash, with its moderate drought resistance,
for windbreak plantings on these sites in the central Great Plains:

  1) River and creek lowlands (deep, moist, permeable soils).
  2) Medium to deep upland soils (silty or clayey loams).
  3) Medium to deep upland soils (sandy loams and loamy sands).
  4) Very wet, poorly drained soils (saline or alkaline uplands and
lowlands).

In all cases green ash is a medium sized tree with a medium crown
density and root habit, and a moderate growth on all but very wet,
poorly drained soils, where growth is slow.  Green ash reaches a maximum
height of 45 feet (14m) on the river and creek lowlands and only 20 feet
(6.2m) on the very wet soils.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has selected and propogated from
seed collected from a farmstead windbreak in Wibaux County, Montana, the
cultivar 'Cardan'.  This cultivar has been planted extensively by the
SCS in farmstead and field windbreaks in North Dakota, South Dakota, and
western Minnesota.  "Cardan" is well suited to the northern Great
Plains, giving excellent survival and growth rates on a wide range of
soils and climatic conditions typical of the Plains [58].

Green ash is also rated as having moderate potential for erosion control
and for long term revegetation [18].

Samaras of green ash should be harvested in the fall when the color
fades from yellow to brown [11] or when the seed within is white, crisp,
firm, and fully elongated [53].  It has been suggested that moisture
content is a more important determiner of readiness for collection than
color of the samara.  Harvest is recommended when the average moisture
content falls to 49% [17], or over a 3-week period when the average
moisture content falls below 100% [16].  Samaras may be picked by hand or
with pruners, shaken from the limbs of standing trees onto sheets spread
below, or swept up from the streets in urban areas [11].  Seeds should be
spread in shallow layers for complete drying; dewinging is not
necessary.  Seeds may be stored in sealed containers for up to seven
years at 41 F (5C) with about 8% moisture without losing viability.
There are an average of 17,000 seeds/lb [53].  Care should be taken to
select seed or planting stock of the same geographical origin as the
planting site, as a large variation in drought and cold-tolerance is
encountered in this widely distributed species [37].

Green ash seeds may be sown in the fall without any stratification,
especially in the northern reaches of green ash's range, by planting
them as soon as collected, before October 15, and mulching overwinter
with burlap or straw.  Spring planted seed requires pregermination
treatment.  This can be a warm-cold stratification of 60 days at 32 to
41 F (0-5C) [11], or a 4-day soak in 100 ppm giberellic acid or 2 days in
1 to 10 ppm 6-benzyladenine followed by a 30-day stratification at 37 F
(3C).  This last treatment will save 30 to 60 days of stratification
time and 21 days of germination time [48].  Tinus [48] also states that
germination of dewinged green ash stored seed is faster and greater than
germination of nondewinged stored seed.  Another stratification
technique to improve regeneration if seedlings are needed rapidly is to
depericarp water soaked seed and partially remove the endosperm [36].
Germination is about 75% with stratified seed, which germinates in 20
days [53].

Stratified seeds should be sown in the spring, drilling them in rows 6
to 12 inches (14-30cm) apart, with 25 to 30 seeds per linear foot, or be
broadcast to a density of 10 to 15 seedlings per square foot.  Normal
outplanting for seedstock is 1-0 or sometimes 2-0 [11].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Green ash, a cultivated ornamental throughout its range, has often been
planted for shade and landscape beautification in urban parks,
recreation areas, and residential areas [11,51].  Its leaves turn golden
yellow in the fall [53].  Soil Conservation Service field plantings have
resulted in commercial production and extensive plantings of green ash
in the northern Great Plains for field shelterbelts and farmstead
windbreaks [35,51].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Green ash is highly susceptible to the effects of rubbing and trampling
by livestock [25], and unfenced windbreaks or shelterbelts may be
damaged by cattle.  Heavy utilization of green ash draws by livestock
greatly reduces the occurence of mature green ash trees, and subsequent
recruitment of green ash from the herbaceous, shrub, and sapling strata
is considerably lower on heavily grazed sites when compared to the
lightly grazed sites [13].  Mean height of mature green ash is greater on
the ungrazed site as compared to the grazed site, and saplings decrease
in density with an increase in grazing use [25].  Generally, overgrazing
green ash wooded draws causes sparse, low vigor stands with lots of dead
material on the ground, compacts the soil, inhibits reproduction, and
damages mature trees by rubbing, trampling and browsing [43].

If a wooded draw occupies only a small proportion of a pasture it will
probably be overused because cattle concentrate in search of shade,
water, and green vegetation, regardless of stocking rate [43].
Continued heavy utilization of green ash draws by livestock may
eventually result in communities composed of a mixture of small-statured
shrubs with green ash assuming a declining role [13].  Many woody stands
in the upland draws have already disappeared from the High Plains
landscape, and many more are in a serious state of decline [10].

Because many wildlife species, including mammals, birds and
invertebrates, are dependent upon the woody species to complete their
life cycles, alteration or loss of the woodland habitats would have
severe consequences on wildlife populations.

In order to protect these limited and high value green ash communities
in the northern Great Plains area, Girard [23] offers these potential
solutions:

 1) Interseeding of highly palatable grass species in unused areas of
the range will result in decreased use of wooded draws.
 2) Construction of shelters at strategic location results in improved
cattle production and more effective grazing distribution than volunteer
and/or forced use of wooded areas.
 3) Use of insecticide-impregnated ear tags for control of insects
prevents livestock from using the shade of wooded draws to avoid insect
attacks or from rubbing against trees in order to dislodge insects.
  4) Fencing of woodlands to restrict livestock use, although this is a
costly undertaking, results in these benefits: provision of a
continually reproducing windbreak for cattle; grazing in winter and/or
early spring, or during emergencies; firewood; and browse for wildlife.
However, in decadent woodlands, fencing may have to be used in
combination with other rehabilitation techniques.
  5) Placement of salt blocks and water away from woodlands helps to
improve livestock distribution.

Some potential improvement techniques which could be used either alone
or in combination to regenerate declining green ash communities are:

  1) Burning to promote vigorous sprouting of shrubs and trees.
  2) Selective cutting of mature trees to stimulate sprouting, taking
into consideration age of the trees, as the ability to sprout decreases
with age and diameter.
  3) Underplanting trees and shrubs in partially cut stands with
protection from cattle grazing.

Any of these improvement techniques could and should be integrated with
the management suggestions offered above for the best response [10,23].

Related categories for Species: Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Green Ash