Firewood Logs Ash- A guide to burning firewood.
Ash The best burning wood providing both flame and heat and if necessary will burn when green.

Part of the Olive family, there are around 60 species of ash worldwide as grouped in the same family as the lilacs, jasmines and forsythias. Ashes have aerodynamic ‘keys’ like ‘maples’ but unlike maples they are symmetrical and not paired.

The most frequently found ash species in the British Isles is the

Ash, common

Ash is the third commonest tree species in Britain and is sometimes the dominant tree in a wood. It is found across Europe from the Arctic Circle to Turkey. This species is currently affected by a disease called ash dieback (Chalara fraxinea). To find out more visit our tree disease website at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/treedisease

What other names does it have?

Can also be known as	Uisinn (Gaelic) Ask (Norse) Esh
Generic name	Ash
Latin name	Fraxinus excelsior
Family name	Ash
Latin family name	Oleaceae

What type of tree is it?

Is it a broadleaf or conifer?	It is a broadleaf
Does it lose its leaves in autumn?	Yes, it is deciduous

Species description:

Average height	15-30m

Leaf

Description	Six-twelve pairs of oval leaflets. Each leaflet has irregularly teeth.
Shape	Compound
Colour	Green
Colour of leaves in autumn	Pale yellow
Leaf bud	Characteristic black buds at the end of each shoot
Leaf stalk	Long stalk
Leaf arrangement	Opposite
Leaf burst usually occurs	May (one of the last native trees to come into leaf)

Flower, seed, and fruit

Type of flower	Other
Fruit colour	Medium green changing biscuit brown when ripe
Type of seed body	Large winged seed/key
Seeds dispersed by	Wind

Bark and twig

Bark description	Pale grey with fine lattice pattern of ridges and fissures
Twig Description	Grey or light grey in colour

What other trees are similar?

Can easily be confused with?	Other Ashes Elder- which hasfive-seven leaflets instead

Where is it usually found?

Is it native or non-native to the British Isles?	Native
Where is its natural range?	Britain and Ireland
Preferred soil type or environmental conditions?	Can be dominant on heavy or calcareous soils but also survives on poor soils where few other trees can grow. Abundant in most conditions except light sandy soils
What is its British conservation status?	Common

Additional information

Human uses of tree and timber	The wood is both strong and flexible. In the past it was used by the Anglo-Saxons for their spears and shield-handles. More recently other uses include tool handles, furniture, sports equipment, walking sticks, tent pegs, oars, gates, wheel rims, and even aircraft wings on the De Havilland Mosquito which flew in World War II.
Tree lore and folklore	In Scandinavian myths the ash tree was known as yggdrasil, the ‘Tree of the World’ and the ’Tree of Rebirth and Healing’ . In Britain, the ash was also regarded as a healing tree. In the past a naked child was passed through the split trunk of an ash in a ritual to cure a broken limb or rickets.