Why We Love White Ash for Flooring and Furniture
All woodworkers have their favorite species, or different favorites for different applications, as I do. I have always loved White (American) Ash for its very light color, and its tendency not to yellow as much as Oak or Maple. A few years ago, a customer bought over 7,000 sq. ft. of clear white Ash flooring to cover most of the floors in a new mini mansion, and the results were impressive! It is a very hard wood, used notably for Louisville Slugger baseball bats, cabinets, furniture, and flooring. Unfortunately, it’s not hard enough to fight off its latest threat.
The Emerald Ash Borer and Fungus Killing American Ash Trees
In recent years, American Ash trees have been dying off at an alarming rate, a trend confirmed by my friends who own local tree companies. Research has shown that the trees are under siege from two distinct blights. One is a fungus that attacks the whole tree from within; the other is an insect, the Emerald Ash Borer. The fungus spores land on the leaves, infecting the circulation system, weakening and eventually killing the tree. The borer beetles drill holes in the bark, laying their eggs underneath. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the living tissue, with the same results. Worse, there is no known remedy that stops or controls either affliction.
A Historic Milton Estate and Its Threatened Copper Beech Tree
Years ago, I lived on land in Milton that was originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted in the early 1880s for the owners of the estate. Some of you may remember Spooky, the Great Horned Owl, who lived at the Museum of Science. He was rescued after falling out of a nest in a huge White Pine that still stands on that estate, and became the subject of many a presentation by the museum. The owner, Natalie Hemenway, was the founder of the Massachusetts Audubon Society! I bought the property one hundred years later from her grandson, John Hemenway, rescuing it from demolition and restoring it; but that’s another story. There is also a magnificent Copper Beech tree along the driveway, originally specified by Olmsted, and I just learned from the current owner that this old beauty is also under attack from Beech Leaf Borers and Beech Bark Fungus. He promised to give me the huge butt log for milling into furniture slabs, mantels, etc., when it has to come down.
The Fight to Save Boston’s Last American Elms
OK, so American Chestnut trees, once widespread, are long gone. Ash trees and Beech trees will soon be gone. Their desirable wood will no longer be available. And perhaps one of the most graceful and impressive trees to have ever beautified our landscapes, the American Elm, is almost extinct. But not quite. The Shaw Memorial Elms, flanking the memorial to Robert Gould Shaw on Boston Common across from the State House, are remarkable survivors that were planted 250 years ago. They are inspected every two weeks and are treated like royalty. There are also many Elms still standing on Commonwealth Avenue, though about half were lost to Dutch Elm Disease. Some wealthy Bostonians set up a perpetual trust to see that these majestic trees would be afforded every treatment possible to keep them alive. Winston Churchill called it “The Grandest Boulevard in America.”
Rare Elm Lumber Now Available at Barney & Carey
I really hope the reader enjoys my forays into wood-related history, but I’m supposed to be selling lumber, too! Well, a friend of ours in Sharon had a huge old Elm taken down after it fell to the disease, and gave me the logs. I took them to the sawmill and wound up with a nice pile of Elm wood, slabs, beams, and boards. We waxed and stickered them, and they are slowly drying indoors. I’ll bet most of you have never seen Elm wood, with its mellow light brown color and attractive grain! Please come and see them in our warehouse, and maybe buy a piece for your project. If you build a table or mantel, or turn an Elm lamp base on your lathe, you can bet you’ll have the only one around!
Keevin Geller, CEO
Barney & Carey Co.
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