UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



% BULLETIN No. 523 



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Contribution from the Forest Service 

 HENRY S. GRAVES, Forester 



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Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



June 29, 1917 



UTILIZATION OF ASH. 



By W. D. Sterrett, Forest Examiner. 



Introduction 



Commercial species 



Demand and supply 



Characteristics of ash wood . 



CONTENTS. 



Poge. 

 1 

 2 

 7 



Utilization by industries 



Lumber and stumpage values . 

 Summary of important points . 



15 Appendix. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Ash is one of the leading commercial hardwoods of the United 

 States. Its importance is due to the intrinsic qualities of its wood; 

 for the quantity cut annually and the available supply of standing 

 timber are small in comparison with the output and supply of a num- 

 ber of other American hardwoods. United States census figures for 

 the last 15 years indicate that, in the production of lumber, ash ranks 

 eleventh among hardwoods, the annual cut amounting to from 2^ to 3 

 per cent of the hardwood lumber output and to less than 1 per cent 

 of the total cut of all species. The peculiar merits of the wood, how- 

 ever, make it very valuable for a number of articles, such as handles, 

 butter tubs, vehicles, and refrigerators. Thus it offers a wide range 

 of possibilities for profitable utilization, and for that reason is an 

 extremely desirable tree to encourage in woodlots. 



The value of ash for different uses and the amount of the different 

 species of ash used in various industries are given in this bulletin, 

 and methods are indicated by which owners may utilize their ash 

 timber profitably. This bulletin also contains an account of the 

 properties of ash wood. The paragraphs on its mechanical properties 

 are taken from a report by J. A. Newlin, engineer in the Forest 

 Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis. Mr, Newlin's report is based 

 on timber tests conducted by the laboratory on specimens mostly col- 

 lected by the author. That part of the bulletin which deals with 

 utilization by industries is based, for the most part, on studies of 

 secondary wood-using industries in the different States carried on by 



74365°— Bull. 523—17 1 



