Species introCountry intro
Black Ash Swamp in the Early Spring
A black ash swamp in the early spring before leaf out. The water source is from seeps and ephemeral springs. Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra) is the dominant tree species in the canopy and sub-canopy with lesser amounts of Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Yellow Birch (Betula allegheniensis), and Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides). The average diameter of the Black Ash is 23 cm. Some of the largest are over 30 cm in diameter. Most of the trees are between 45 and 55 years old but a few large ones are estimated to be almost a century.
''Fraxinus nigra'', the black ash, is a species of ash native to much of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, from western Newfoundland west to southeastern Manitoba, and south to Illinois and northern Virginia. Formerly abundant, as of 2014 the species is threatened with near total extirpation throughout its range, as a result of infestation by a parasitic insect known as the emerald ash borer.
