Ash trees grow between 18-25 feet in a decade. It can take 16 to 60 years for an ash tree to grow to maturity, reaching a height of 35 to 90 feet or 100 feet in some species.
The trees’ canopy grows 40 to 50 feet wide, and most ash trees live up to 200 years. Some have lived for 300 years.
The growth of ash trees depends on the species and growing conditions. In nature, ash seeds germinate after 18 months if kept wet, but if conditions are unfavorable, they can remain dormant for several years.
We’ll look at how much time it takes for ash trees to mature, their height, and what you can do to accelerate the germination of dormant seeds.
Ash Tree Growth Rate
Ash trees are moderately fast-growing because they can reach 25 feet in ten years. However, some species, like the European ash, grow slower. They’re up to 60 varieties of ash trees.
Ash trees require good conditions such as cool temperatures. They also do well in rich, well-drained soil, although they can grow in most soil types like acidic, alkaline, or clay.
Here is the growth rate of the most common ash tree species:
- White ash – Grows to a height of 50 to 80 feet at maturity. The height increases by 13 to 24” per year, and its trunk is two to three feet in diameter.
- Green ash – Grows to a height of 50 to 60 feet. It gains 24 inches in one growing season, meaning the tree can reach full length in about 25 years. It has a canopy spread of 35 to 50 feet and can live for more than 150 years.
- Black ash – Grows 40 to 60 feet but occasionally reaches 100 feet tall. It measures about 30 inches in trunk diameter.
- Blue ash – Blue ash reaches a mature height of 50 to 75 feet and a diameter of 25 to 35 feet. It grows slower than other ash trees, at a rate of 8 to 12 inches per year.
You don’t have to cut an ash tree down to examine the rings and determine how old the tree is. A better way is to measure the tree trunk’s circumference at about four feet above the ground.
Then divide the circumference by 3.14 (pi) to find the diameter. Multiply the diameter by the growth factor to determine its age. The growth factor to use for an ash tree is 4.0.
Can You Grow Ash Trees From Seeds?
In the wild, ash tree seeds remain dormant for years without germinating. You can grow an ash tree from seed, but if you don’t want to wait years for germination, you’ll need to treat them first to kick start germination. You can speed up germination by using the stratification method.
Confirm first whether you can plant an ash tree in your area because the Emerald Ash Borer beetle destroys millions of ash trees, and some areas are not ideal for planting.
Stratification involves placing the seeds in conditions that replicate the environment needed for germination. In the case of ash seeds, many recommend a long warm treatment followed by cold treatment.
If you don’t want to grow the tree from seed, you can take a cutting and plant it in the garden. The cutting doesn’t require much treatment except for dipping it into a rooting hormone and burying at least three nodes where the leaves were attached. You will notice roots appearing after a while.
In Summary
Ash trees take 16 to 60 years to reach maturity. They grow between 18 and 25 feet in a decade, reaching a maximum height of 100 feet in some species.
The tree’s canopy can grow 40 to 50 feet wide, and the tree trunk’s diameter is about 24 inches. Some ash tree species have lived for more than 200 years. Ash trees can be grown in many states such as Virginia and Missouri.