Growing Ash From Seed

Wild ash populations will be significantly affected by EAB. One way to help maintain ash on the landscape is to grow ash from seed and reintroduce these seedlings in an area with suitable conditions. This will create a living seed bank, and help create a future in which Tribal artisans can continue to harvest and use brown ash for basketmaking. 

Growing ash in your backyard

Anyone can grow ash seed in their backyard to help this effort. After collecting seed in late Summer, seeds can be sown between November and January. Before sowing, soak ash seeds in cold water overnight. We recommend that you prepare pots with compacted potting soil, and scatter ash seeds over the soil (Figure 1). Next, cover the seeds with a thin layer of sand until they are just barely visible (Figure 2). Brown ash seed is shade intolerant, so situate pots in an area that gets at least some direct sun and remember to label them. We also recommend covering the pots with a thin wire mesh to keep squirrels from digging into the soil and disrupting germination. Ash seeds must go through at least 1, but usually 2, Winter seasons before they break dormancy and germinate, so be prepared to wait!

Figure 1
Figure 2
Listen to Jessica Raspitha, Environmental Specialist for the Mohawk Akwesasne, and McKay Burley, employee at the new Akwesasne Native Plant Nursery in St. Regis, New York, discuss the importance of ash regeneration.

Growing ash in a nursery

In a nursery setting, ash seeds can be germinated more quickly and grown on a larger scale. With technology like deep freezes, seeds can be artificially stratified, or triggered to germinate, at a rate faster than they would under natural circumstances. If you own or work for a nursery and would like to grow ash for forest regeneration, please reach out to John Daigle at jdaigle@maine.edu. 

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is leading the way in experimenting with growing ash in a nursery setting. In 2004, Les Benedict (Mohawk Akwesasne Tribe) and Richard David developed a protocol for propagating black ash which captures the most effective methods thus far. 

Future trainings

In Spring 2024, we plan to hold an in-person workshop with Les Benedict and the Wild Seed Project on how to propagate and regenerate ash. We will share a recording of that session on this page.