The air was alive in Castleton and Tinmouth this past weekend with the sound of volunteers pounding black ash logs into splints for generations of future basket makers. Since the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program hosted UVM graduate student Charlotte Cadow in 2022 and 2023, our program staff and colleagues at Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation have remained committed to ongoing outreach, field walks, community coordination, and connections with Abenaki basket makers and educators. Together, we’re furthering awareness, connection, and research about black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and its future in light of emerald ash borer infestations statewide. Contact the program to learn more about black ash identification, mapping, seed collection, treatment, and harvest or salvage of logs for splint pounding.