Replacement trees for ash woodlands with emerald ash borer

Floodplain forests are found on floodplains, creek bottoms and riverine terraces. These forests are flat and follow a river’s gradient. The soils in a floodplain are developed on river sediment and the surface is often “grooved” with shallow channels and levees.

• Green ash is common in all of Minnesota’s floodplains.
• Black ash is common in northern Minnesota.
• White ash is common in southern Minnesota.
• Silver maple is widespread in the canopy of floodplain forests.

Recommended replacement trees suited to floodplains

Wet forests are commonly found in narrow zones along the margins of lakes, rivers and peatlands. They are also found in shallow depressions or other landforms where the water table is within reach of plant roots.

Wet forests have varying soil moisture, depending on the season. Groundwater is at its peak in the spring and reduces throughout the growing season.

• Black ash is common in wet forest communities.
• Lesser amounts of green ash are found in wet forests.
• Northern white cedar, American elm, red maple and balsam fir are also common in the canopy of wet forests.

Recommended replacement trees suited to wet forests

Mesic hardwood forests occur on upland sites with soils that retain water. These forests have continuous, often dense, canopies of deciduous trees with plenty of water and nutrients. The growth of trees is often limited by a lack of sunlight in the dense canopies of these forests.

• Mesic hardwood forests are typically dominated by hardwood species other than ash.
• Common species include sugar maple, basswood, ironwood, northern red oak, red maple, paper birch, yellow birch and quaking aspen.
• Approximately 10 percent of trees are ash. White ash is the most common ash species in these forests.

Recommended replacement trees suited to mesic hardwood forests

Forested rich peatlands are found on organic soils that contain actively forming peat. They are continuously waterlogged, with acidic soils and low nutrient availability.

• Forested rich peatlands have a large number of conifers and small amounts of ash.
• Species like black spruce, tamarack, northern white cedar and balsam fir are common overstory trees.
• Ash trees (usually black ash) will only grow in conditions where the peat is thin enough so that the roots of the ash tree can reach the mineral soil.

Because ash is not common in peatlands, this plant community will not be affected by EAB as much as the others.

Recommended replacement trees suited to peatlands

Wildfires influence the development of fire-dependent plant communities. Fire causes species to regenerate and release nutrients that become available for tree growth.

Fire-dependent forests are some of the driest forests where trees can survive and thrive. These forests have limited nutrients available for trees to grow.

• Jack pine, red pine, eastern white pine and quaking aspen are common overstory trees in fire-dependent forests.

• Green ash is the most frequent ash species found in these forests, but in small amounts.

Because ash is not adapted to fire and is not common in fire-dependent forests, this plant community will not be affected by EAB as much as the others.

Recommended replacement trees suited to fire-dependent forests

Trees not examined in research trials:

Northern MN

• Jack pine
• Eastern white pine
• Red pine
• Northern pin oak
• Northern red oak
• Bur oak
• White oak
• Paper birch

Southern MN

• Jack pine
• Eastern white pine
• Northern pin oak
• Northern red oak
• Black oak
• Bur oak
• White oak
• Shagbark hickory
• Black cherry
• Big-toothed aspen