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Green Ash:

The Tree On the Chopping Block
Ash Tree.

The ash tree (Fraxinus species) is the target of EAB.

The green ash (Fraxinus pennslyvanica) is a favorite target of EAB. They were once also favored as shade trees because of their long lifespan (up to 250 years in some cases). They possess a relatively high growth rate and high tolerance to urban conditions like road salt and compacted soil.

How to Identify Your Ash Tree.
Identifying Your Ash Tree

Ash trees in general are easy to identify because of the prominent ridges in their bark creating a diamond shaped pattern. Green ash in particular can be identified by their leaves: compound, 10 inches to a foot long, with about seven to nine stalked leaflets which form parallel to each other on opposite sides of the main stem.

Green Ash Leaf.
Ash Benefits
Like other trees, the ash tree removes carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis. In essence, trees eat carbon for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – the very same elements that make climate change worse. That captured carbon helps form new tree growth and locks that carbon in place throughout the tree’s lifespan. When trees on the landscape are not able to reach their full potential, the impacts on our environment are immense.
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Since 1974, the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee (MNSTAC) has been advising Minnesota’s Governor, Legislature, other legislative and administrative branches of the state, the University of Minnesota, and the counties, communities, and people of the state of Minnesota on the best ways to preserve, protect, expand, and improve Minnesota’s urban and community forests.