Black ash (Fraxinus nigra) trees are captivating -- with corky, furrowed bark, they inhabit some of Vermont’s wettest, swampiest, buggiest forests. This tree species has close ties to the Abenaki people who use the splints of black ash for many traditional practices including basket making. They also fill a unique ecological role in wetlands, seepage forests, and other seasonally saturated places, transpiring huge amounts of water and providing overstory in what can be challenging growing conditions for other tree species. 

Staff in Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation and Vermont Fish & Wildlife continue to focus on black ash stewardship on state-owned land through outreach and education, insecticide treatment of selected black ash stands, seed saving for genetic preservation and future growth trails, and black ash splint pounding workshops. See the slides from the team's "Spotlight on Black Ash on State Lands" presentation at the 2025 Forest Ecosystem Monitoring Cooperative conference or watch splint pounding in action at a 2025 workshop.

See the 2025 PresentationWatch Splint Pounding

In 2022 and 2023, University of Vermont graduate student Charlotte Cadow (now a M.Sc. graduate working for The Nature Conservancy) wrote two valuable reports summarizing her work in black ash seepage forests, connecting with basket makers, and learning about the overlapping cultural and ecological roles of black ash on this continent. Spend time with Charlotte's literature review and project report to broaden your understanding of this unique and ecologically threatened tree.

Literature Review Masters Degree Project Report

Resources for Landowners

Studies indicate that black ash trees lack chemical and physical defenses against the non-native emerald ash borer. As EAB continues to spread through Vermont’s forests, black ash trees will become extirpated from the landscape without specific intervention from scientists and land managers. The choices of landowners, public lands managers, and curious community members will help determine the future narrative of black ash in Vermont.

Explore black identification and emerald ash borer management, or join the network of landowners that will allow for a black ash harvest. 

Resources for Municipalities

Many municipal properties in Vermont are home to groves of black ash trees. In the fall of 2022, a group of UVM students dove into the where, why, and how black ash persist in these forests.

View interactive map and explanation of black ash in town forests and explore UVM students’ report detailing black ash management recommendations with a video presentation and PDF report below.

Town Forest Story Map

Black Ash Project Data

During big rain events or spring run-off, black ash can hold and transpire immense quantities of water. This is an important service to other species that can’t tolerate wet conditions. To study the effects of a dwindling black ash population, Vermont has 18 long-term monitoring plots located in 10 sites across Vermont. Data and stories from the first year of plot establishment and monitoring can be found below.

Data Summary Stories from the Field

Indigenous People of Vermont

Vermont is home to many indigenous people, including the Abenaki. There are currently four state-recognized tribes, including the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe, the Koasek Traditional Band of the Koas Abenaki, and the Abenaki Nation at Missisquoi. Other Abenaki live in Vermont and may not be part of state-recognized tribes. More information about Vermont’s indigenous communities is linked below.

• Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs

• Vermont Abenaki Artists Association

   

Questions

Questions? E-mail Joanne Garton at Joanne.Garton@vermont.gov.