Is either of these an ash tree?

June 26, 2017 5:49 PM

We live in an area where people who have ash trees and don't want them to get cut down to avoid emerald ash borer infestation are being advised to consider having them preventatively treated. The leaves on two of ours don't look like the pictures I've seen of ash trees, but can someone confirm? Tree 1, tree 1 leaves, tree 2, tree 2 leaves.
posted by lakeroon to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Best answer: Neither of those is an ash tree. I think tree 1 is an oak, and I can't really see tree 2's leaves very well, but it's definitely not an ash.
posted by momus_window at 6:00 PM on June 26, 2017

Best answer: Agree with the above. Ash trees have compound leaves (like a walnut) where one "leaf" is actually a group of an odd number of leaflets consisting of 2-5 sets paired opposite with one terminal. #1 definitely an oak, and cannot identify #2. Ash leaves look like this.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 6:19 PM on June 26, 2017

Best answer: I think tree 2 is a cottonwood or some other poplar or aspen.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:22 PM on June 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Tree 1 is a pin oak. Tree 2 isn't an ash.
posted by teleri025 at 7:13 PM on June 26, 2017

Tree two looks like a linden or ginko, but it has some issues on those bare limbs. Drought has been hard on the trees in the west.
posted by Oyéah at 7:49 PM on June 26, 2017

I'd say swamp oak and linden. There's an interesting "fruit" in the tree 1 leaf picture, upper right hand.
posted by bullatony at 4:52 AM on June 27, 2017