Features: Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata) is named for the dye which can be extracted by mashing and cooking the inner trunk bark, and which was used by American Indians and early European settlers. As the wood of Blue Ash is dense, it is highly prized for speciality uses such as tool handles. Ash trees belong to the same family as Olive trees and the familiar Forsythias and Lilacs of gardens. The species' scientific name (quadrangulata)refers to the distinctive four-angled twigs.

Status: Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Range: Primarily a species of east-central North America, the range of Blue Ash extends from southwestern Ontario south to Oklahoma and Georgia. In Canada, it occurs only in Ontario, at the northern limits of its range, and populations are small and isolated. It was likely never common here. Range Maps

Threats: Forest removal was the main cause for the decline of this species in Ontario. Harvesting of large seed-producing trees may also have contributed to local declines.

Protection: Most of the remaining trees in Ontario are on private land. Some populations are protected in national and provincial parks. Young Blue Ash trees transplant well, are drought-resistant and tolerate a wide variety of conditions, even in urban settings where they are used in specimen plantings. Re- establishment in natural habitats is a management option to be considered for the future.

Text Sources: Ambrose and Aboud 1983; Waldron 1997

Last Modified Date: February 2005