| How Does Baseball Depend on this Tree? |
| Location: In woods beside
Eisenhower Hall |
| This is a White Ash tree.
Its scientific name is Fraxinus
americana and it is a member of the Olive Family, the Oleaceae.
Notice that the leaves are pinnately compound. “Compound” because each leaf blade is divided into approximately 7 leaflets with few or any teeth on the margins (edges). “Pinnately” because the leaflets are arranged on the petiole (leaf stalk) like a feather. By contrast, maple leaves are “simple” leaves with one blade per petiole. White Ash gets its name from the bark of mature trees (like this one) which often have large, more-or-less circular areas of whitish bark. This patch of bark looks very ashen, like it was burned in a fire. Of course, it was not burned, this is just how the bark changes with age. White Ash is very desirable as a lumber species. Its wood is excellent for making tool handles, boat oars, wooden toys, and baseball bats. The wood has a prominent “grain.” Unfortunately, this tree is seriously threatened by the Emerald Ash Borer. This Asian beetle (Agrilus planipennis) was first seen in Michigan ash trees, near Detroit, in the summer of 2002. Since that time it has killed more than 6 million ash trees! It is spreading rapidly and has already been found in northwestern Ohio. Foresters are taking steps to quarantine wood that might contain the eggs or larvae. For example, you are not permitted to bring firewood from Michigan to Ohio and this autumn authorities even set up road blocks on the Interstate highways to check vehicles for firewood. This insect threatens to destroy one of the most important trees of the Eastern Deciduous Forest. -- David Kramer
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