Ash
Although it is not one of the 33 trees deemed to be true British natives, the Ash is a very familiar part of our landscape. The Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is a majestic tree, its straight trunk rising elegantly into its canopy that reaches up to 130 feet in height.
Together with the Oak it is probably the tree with most folklore associated with it. Norse mythology recognises it as the World Tree, the tree of time and life and indeed the first man was believed to have been made from an Ash. It was part of the sacred trinity of trees to the Druids creating the balance between the male Oak and the female Thorn. Central to Wicca, it was the preferred material for the stave of a witch’s broomstick!
Ash has the greatest tensile strength of any of our woods and is thus favoured where shock is likely to affect a product. Its ability to bend without breaking makes it a firm favourite of chair and tool makers.
Ash has a coarse grain and a sandy brown colour and finishes to a high lustre.
