Ash-Wood Identification

Ash trees are common ornamental and yard trees that are found naturally all over the forests in Ohio. White-ash, green-ash, black-ash and blue-ash trees are common ash-wood species. Ash trees are very easy to identify as long as you know what characteristics to look for.

Branches

The easiest way to identify ash trees is to observe their branches. Ash-tree branches grow directly across from each other, which is common for only a few tree species. Not every branch, however, has an opposite branch because branches can die or fall.

Leaf Growth

In addition to compound branches, ash-wood species have compound leaves with usually five to nine leaflets attached to a single leaf bud.

Leaf Shape

Ash wood has oval-shaped leaves that have either smooth or toothed margins.

Bark

The bark of a young ash tree is usually relatively smooth but the bark of aged ash trees is thick with a raised diamond-shape pattern.

Leaf Scar

Leaf scar is a good way to identify different ash-wood species. The leaf scar on white ash resembles a smiley face while the leaf scar of a green ash is more of a semicircle with a flat line across the top. Black ash has black buds as leaf scars and blue ash has square twig-shape leaf scars.

References

• Ash Tree Identification
• Ash Tree Identification Guide
• Ash Tree Fact Sheet