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How to spotThe ash tree is deciduous, so it drops all its leaves and stands bare in Winter. It is still easily identified without leaves by smooth grey twigs that hold sooty, black leaf buds.The bark of a young ash tree is smooth and greenish-grey, turning darker grey and forming deep cracks with age.Ash tree leaves that unfurl in Spring are compound, divided into pairs of leaflets along a long leaf stalk.They usually have 3-6 pairs of light greenpointed leaflets with a single leaflet at the end of the leaf.In late Summer they have large clusters ofgreen winged fruits known as ‘keys’ that turnbrown after the leaves have fallen in Autumn.Our UK native ash tree can grow to be one of the tallest trees ina woodland reaching up to 40m in height.

Where it growsAsh trees often grow in groups and can befound in woods, along hedgerows and instreets and parks.It is one of the UK’s most abundant trees, although less common in northern Scotland.

Ash

Latin nameFraxinus excelsior

Registered charity 294344 and SC038885

Supporting the Woodland Trust’s Nature’s Calendar project

Compound leaves are made up of many smaller leaves called leaflets that are joined to a single stem.

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ASH F

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HEET Don’t confuse it with

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)Rowan trees have similar shaped leavesthat could easily be mistaken for ashleaves, but the trees are much smaller andmore compact.Unlike the ash, they do not have distinctiveblack buds in Winter and have bunches of creamy-white flowers in Spring which turn into green and thenorange berries in Autumn.

Why it needs protectingAsh trees across Europe are being killedby a serious disease called ash dieback.This disease, caused by a fungus, results in leaf loss and tree crown dieback in infected trees, potentially leading to the death of the tree.Ash is a very important tree in the UK andis the sole source of food for over 27 speciesof invertebrate.The spread of ash dieback and the depletionof this important tree could be damaging tomany of the UK’s wildlife species.

Benefits for wildlifeAsh trees make the perfect habitat for many different species of wildlife with birds including woodpeckers and owls using the trees for nesting.Ash trees live for a long time and as older trees contain a mix of living and dead, decaying material, they provide an excellent habitat for the lesser stag beetle and other minibeasts that thrive on deadwood.

Did you know?Ash is one of the toughest hardwoods and absorbs shocks without splintering so people have used it to make tools for years. Ash timber has been used to make hammers, axes, spades, hockey sticks and oars.

Get involvedHave you seen any spectacular ash trees lately?Take a photo to share with friends and @GrowWildUK online using #ash and #NatureQuest

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The tree crown isthe top part of the tree, with branches that grow out from the main trunk and support the leaves.

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