Steps for Identifying and Recording Ash
1. Find ash
Brown ash likes to “keep its feet wet” and tends to grow in wetlands or along streams where the water table is higher. Green and white ash are typically found in low hills with moist soil, but green ash is more rare to see in Maine forests. Green and white ash are also common ornamental street trees.
2. Identify different species of ash
One can identify different types of ash by their distinctive bark, leaves, fruit, twigs, and wood. For a detailed look at the distinctions between white, green, and brown ash, please refer to this excerpt from the Forest Trees of Maine guide. A table from this excerpt is included to the right for your reference. We also recommend checking out the State of Maine’s webpage, Is it an Ash Tree? Please note that Wabanaki knowledge holders only harvest brown ash trees with certain characteristics, so even if you find a brown ash tree on your property, it may not be basket quality.
3. Collect data about ash
As the dual threats of EAB and climate change are impacting Maine’s forests, it is more urgent than ever before to obtain geographic and characteristic data about ash trees. Inventory data about brown ash, in particular, is lacking because it was not scoped for harvest by timber companies. You can help our efforts to monitor, collect seed, and manage ash by keeping records of ash on the land you care for.
The following template can be used to collect basic information about ash trees on your land: Basic Ash Observation Data. It suggests collecting GPS coordinates, type of ash, DBH, estimated height, sex, and EAB monitoring data. If you have questions about any of these fields please refer to Tyler Everett’s Ash Inventory Field Manual which provides approachable definitions of each of these data types.
If you are a forester or land steward with time and resources to support your work, consider doing a more thorough inventory of ash on the land you care for by following the instructions in Tyler Everett’s Ash Inventory Field Manual.
4. Submit data to APCAW (tool coming soon!)
We are in the process of developing a tool for citizen scientists to collect basic information about ash trees and privately submit it to APCAW. Given that Indigenous Knowledge about the location of basket-quality ash is closely held, it is likely that spatial data about ash in the Northeast will not be publicly available but instead will be held in an encrypted Tribal database (to be determined). For now, please record your ash inventory internally.