A wooded property up the road from me was just cleared of trees to make room for a new home. The builders also cut down a few trees across the road and left the remnants in a pile beside the road. I’m a woodturner who occasionally can’t seem to stop himself from acquiring more log chunks than he really needs. So, in a moment of weakness, I asked the builders if I could take a few pieces. They were happy to see it go, which was all the encouragement I needed.
Rummaging through the pile, I discovered that one of the trees was a fairly large ash. I loaded four of its bigger chunks into my pickup and was happily on my way. Every time I have the chance to work with ash these days, I always consider it a special opportunity. Ash continues to suffer from the ravages of the emerald ash borer, and I wonder if the day will come when the species will either be exceedingly rare or even unavailable. What a terrible shame that would be. Perhaps this is the same way woodworkers seven or eight decades ago felt about the once mighty and common American chestnut. It reminds me that natural resources, like time, are not to be taken for granted.
Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal
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