Ash is still available, while supplies last
Despite the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) devastating ash tree populations, hardwood dealers report that ash is still available, though declining. While demand has decreased due to concerns about future scarcity and design preferences for oak and walnut, ash remains popular for certain applications, such as guitar making.
Hardwood dealers say ash is still readily available, despite the effects of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) that has killed millions of trees across the United States.
Joel Horling of Cole Hardwood, a wholesaler in Logansport, Ind., says that while supplies have declined in recent years, ash is still obtainable, and customers are still buying it for furniture, flooring, millwork, trim, and cabinet projects.
“It’s kind of an underrated species. I think a lot of people would be happy with it if more people worked with it. However, the EAB is helping dwindle the availability of that species, and we’re seeing a decline in sales. Although, 20 years ago, I thought the decline was going to be a whole lot quicker when the EAB was first spotted, and I think the industry did as well. But it’s still hanging on. There are some pockets across the Midwest and into the Appalachian region where they do still have a little bit of ash available.”
Horling says the sawmills he deals with have been producing 4/4 to 12/4 stock. Sales have slipped a bit, which he believes correlates with concerns about the future scarcity of ash.
“Everyone knows, for lack of a better term, it’s a dying species, so they don’t want to come up with products and programs that utilize ash because eventually the price will go up, and the product will not be there anymore,” Horling says.
Matt Gilland of Superior Veneer & Plywood in New Albany, Ind., says availability hasn’t been a concern, but sales are down due to design preferences.
“There’s not a whole lot of demand for it, but we’ve been able to get it. We’re just not getting a whole lot of people requesting it,” he says. “Oak and walnut are the two preferred veneers at the moment.”
At Rare Woods U.S.A. in Mexico, Maine, Luke Zale says ash has been increasingly harder to get in good quality, but that he still sells plenty of it.
“It’s still a very popular species. Swamp ash, especially with guitar makers, and then the American ash in general is a decently hard lumber so I have a lot of customers asking for it,” says Zale.
“The Emerald Ash Borer is doing quite a number on the species. Most of the customers know about it. All my local customers can see it in some of the standing trees that they have.”
Retail pricing for 4/4 ash was quoted at $4.19 to $5.25/bf.
Originally published in the October 2025 issue of Woodshop News.
