October Tree of the Month-Ash

This post isn’t just Tree of the Month; it’s a Love letter to my sentimental favorite, the ash tree.

I grew up with two white ash trees, Fraxinus americana, one male and one female, although I had no idea about dioicous trees at the time. I only knew I loved them. They stood like protective parents, bookending each side of our small, rectangular suburban backyard. The male on the left wore a rainbow of autumn colors every year, while his female partner wore golden yellow. As a scrawny 8-year-old, I could climb so far up into their leafy canopy I could see 2 miles away. The ash trees were my safe place since none of my friends could or would climb so high. The pinnate ash leaves could conceal me from even my mother.

The photo transfer image of Mom, me, and our young female ash tree that hangs in my office.

In autumn, when the leaves would drop, I volunteered to rake, making elaborate patterns and pathways with the female’s golden leaves that complimented and contrasted against the green grass. The designs always ended in a pile for jumping and hiding the reluctant dog. The ash trees were beautiful, safe, and very close friends.

When the male succumbed to borers while I was in high school (soon followed by the female.) I was grateful not to be home to hear the sawing and chipping noises, followed by that ground-shattering final ‘thud’. I returned home and stood on the moist stump, looking back at the house from the tree’s perspective, realizing how empty the little backyard world I grew up in had become.

So yeah, I get that I’m a tree geek-those two ash trees are why I proudly wear the tree-geek badge. But few can deny the impact trees make on our lives. The reasons are as numerous as the leaves in a golden pile of leaves in autumn.

To the ash “parents” I grew up with, I thank you for your beauty, friendship, and rainbow of memories.

Female white ash *F. americana* in Spanish Lake.

Ash trees, Fraxinus spp. are the most recent victims in a long line of tree catastrophes. American chestnuts (Chestnut Blight), elms (Dutch Elm Disease), and now our ash trees are dying due to an invasive pest. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) that started preying on ash trees in the north-central US has now reached the St. Louis area and beyond. EAB has killed millions of ash from Eastern Canada to Oregon and Texas, costing homeowners, tree and garden industries, and municipalities millions of dollars. Treatments are available but costly. An infestation can take 1-2 years to show signs and another 3-5 years to kill the tree. By the time most homeowners notice a problem, it’s too late.

Mature ash with classic signs of EAB infestation.

The tell-tale “D” shaped exit holes of EAB

What’s an ash owner to do? Keep an eye on your ash trees for any warning signs, such as dead branches or die back, extensive woodpecker damage (they like to eat the borer larvae), epicormic branching (branches that grow out from the main truck), or the tell-tale “D” shaped exit holes in the bark. Emerald Ash borers are a brilliant, metallic green with long bodies (compared to Japanese beetles with wider bodies) up to one inch long. Have a CERTIFIED arborist take a look if you suspect emerald ash borer. A certified arborist should be able to confirm EAB and give you treatment recommendations if it’s not too late. DO NOT MOVE FIREWOOD-This carries undetected larvae from one location to another; in fact, moving firewood has become illegal in some areas.

The adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” can be the best advice if you want to save your ash tree. Take action BEFORE you see any warning signs. For more information, visit;

USDA APHIS | Emerald Ash Borer Beetle

Emerald Ash Borer