Free ash score!

[rdust]

My brother, dad and I cut a dying ash for my brothers mother in law Saturday. It was a pretty good sized tree, the trunk was about 20 inches in diameter. I figure it should be just about a cord when I get it split up. My brother has a bunch on his property that will probably need to be cut but he's waiting till they leaf out to see what ones are dead. Not good for me but I can't blame him.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

rdust, where are you?

No need to wait to see if they leaf out. That one you just cut certainly was not dead. What we are finding is that the trees will try to overcome the borer and you will soon find lots and lots of small new branches sprouting from the tree especially from about 5-15' up the trunk. Then they will soon die; usually within a couple of years.

The bark tends to fall off during the winter but it seems to try to overcome this. Then when you cut the trees, very shortly after you cut and stack the bark will simply come off in big chunks. Sometimes when splitting the entire bark will pop right off.

 

[rdust]

I'm in Oxford, my brother and his mother in law have property on Lake Huron, this is where the tree was cut. You're right it wasn't dead yet, that is why I said it was dying in my first post. It would soon be dead, last season it only had leaves on half the tree. It was in the middle of her property and she wanted it gone so we helped her out, me out and got my brother some brownie points.