A local forester had “never seen a larger White Ash” in the county than this tree, with its trunk diameter (DBH) of 57 inches in 2017. There are 13 larger White Ashes in Pennsylvania.
In 2017, the Lancaster County Department of Parks and Recreation cut down all ash trees in Central and Buchmiller Parks that presented a safety hazard, because of the coming onslaught of the Emerald Ash Borer. This tree and three other large ashes — two in Buchmiller with 30 and 35 inch trunk diameters, and one near the County Swimming Pool Complex (1050 Rockford Road, Lancaster) with a 37 inch trunk diameter — are being treated for EAB under private (Eiserer) funding. These four trees are the largest in the parks that would otherwise have been cut down.
This amazing species has white wood that has so much strength, hardness, and elasticity (shock resistance) that it’s favored for baseball bats.
