How to Identify Common Ash — Tree ID Guide for Bushcraft

Learn to recognise Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) in any season, plus its best bushcraft uses.

This week we're continuing our tree identification series with Common Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) — covering how to identify it and its practical bushcraft applications.

1. Silhouette and Shape

Ash is a tall deciduous tree, often reaching 20–35 metres in height. It has a broad, open crown with an airy appearance because the leaves are fairly spaced out. Mature trees often develop a rounded or domed crown, and branches typically grow upwards and outwards, giving a loose, spreading structure.

The broad, open crown and upward-reaching branches of a mature Common Ash.

2. Bark Colour and Texture

Bark changes significantly as the tree ages. Young trees have smooth, pale grey bark. As the tree matures, the bark becomes grey-brown with vertical fissures and shallow ridges. The fissures are usually narrow and irregular, not deeply plated.

Young ash — smooth, pale grey bark.

Older ash — grey-brown with vertical fissures.

Ash Dieback — the tell-tale vertical, eye-shaped scar on the trunk.

3. Twigs

Ash twigs are stout and smooth, ranging in colour from grey to greenish-grey. A key identification feature is opposite branching — the twigs grow in pairs directly across from each other on the stem.

Opposite branching — twigs grow in pairs directly across from each other.

4. Buds

Ash buds are one of the easiest winter identification features. They're very distinctive — large, velvety, and jet black. The buds sit opposite each other along the twig, and the terminal bud at the tip is often the largest and rounded.

The distinctive velvety black buds of Common Ash — unmistakable in winter.

5. Flowers

Ash produces small purple flowers in clusters — not showy catkins like hazel. The flowers appear before the leaves in early spring, and trees may have male, female, or mixed flowers.

Small purple flower clusters appear before the leaves in early spring.

6. Leaf Shape

Ash has pinnate compound leaves — a feather-like structure with usually 7–13 leaflets on a central stalk. The leaflets are oval to lance-shaped with toothed edges. Worth noting: ash leaves appear late in spring compared to many other trees.

Pinnate compound leaves — 7 to 13 leaflets on a central stalk.

Bushcraft Uses

Ash is a fantastic tree with a wide range of bushcraft applications. Unfortunately, we're likely to see a significant decline as Ash Dieback continues to spread across the UK, but it's still knowledge well worth having in your toolkit.