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The Ash Tree
Oliver Rackham, the outstanding botanical writer of his generation, has written the first history and ecology of the ash tree, exploring its place in human culture, explaining Ash disease, and arguing that globalisation is now the single greatest threat to the world's trees and forests.
184 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2014
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113 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Rackham
28 books16 followersOliver Rackham OBE FBA was an English academic who studied the British countryside, especially trees, woodlands and wood pasture, Rackham wrote a number of books, including The History of the Countryside (1986) and one on Hatfield Forest. He also studied and published extensively on the ecology of Crete, Greece.
In 1998 he was awarded the OBE for "services to Nature Conservation". In 2006 he was appointed Honorary Professor of Historical Ecology in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge.
He was a Life Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Keeper of the College Records. On 15 October 2007 Rackham was elected Master of Corpus Christi College until 1 October 2008.
In 1998 he was awarded the OBE for "services to Nature Conservation". In 2006 he was appointed Honorary Professor of Historical Ecology in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge.
He was a Life Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and Keeper of the College Records. On 15 October 2007 Rackham was elected Master of Corpus Christi College until 1 October 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 20, 2019
I have known about this book for over a year now however have not really sat down and looked at it properly.
To be honest its a curious little book both hard to categorise and hard to explain. The book itself (as explained by the renowned author Oliver Rackham) was written in response to the public outcry over the ash dieback which the media at the time was announcing was threatening out ash trees.
The book goes in to great detail about the significance of the tree- as since society appears to place such little value on it (how songs, stories and even references are there to ash trees as compared to other trees like the willow or oak).
It is also a rallying cry to the protection of our native trees the ash being one of the most prominent ones- from various modern pressures - some of which even I didn't realise (since as the promotion and increase of imported trees where not only are the trees invading and bringing their diseases and pests but also the soil they are set in).
The book can get a little heavy in places - repeatedly going on about the state of our trees - however he has a point and I guess anyone who feels such passion about something so easily and regularly overlooked - can be due to right to try and address the balance.
The book is a good read - and having grown up in the country I can see his point - I guess the rest is really up to us.
To be honest its a curious little book both hard to categorise and hard to explain. The book itself (as explained by the renowned author Oliver Rackham) was written in response to the public outcry over the ash dieback which the media at the time was announcing was threatening out ash trees.
The book goes in to great detail about the significance of the tree- as since society appears to place such little value on it (how songs, stories and even references are there to ash trees as compared to other trees like the willow or oak).
It is also a rallying cry to the protection of our native trees the ash being one of the most prominent ones- from various modern pressures - some of which even I didn't realise (since as the promotion and increase of imported trees where not only are the trees invading and bringing their diseases and pests but also the soil they are set in).
The book can get a little heavy in places - repeatedly going on about the state of our trees - however he has a point and I guess anyone who feels such passion about something so easily and regularly overlooked - can be due to right to try and address the balance.
The book is a good read - and having grown up in the country I can see his point - I guess the rest is really up to us.
September 17, 2019
Even though Ash got into the top ten of trees in a survey a couple of years ago, it is not the one that springs to mind for a lot of people. This is why you often find books and prose on the magnificent oak, beech, elm and yew. We don’t as much take them for granted, rather the ash is not visible in our day to days lives, so we tend to never think of it. It has been one of the most common trees, but with the arrival of Ash dieback, this could all change in the coming years.
The tree has a number of qualities that have made this an appealing tree to use since way back in the Neolithic time. It can be coppiced and pollarded and because of its versatility, ash has been used for tool handles, bowls, fodder for livestock, to warm our homes and you can even find it on the back of a Morris Minor Traveller. It is very rarely used in construction. An ash will support a number of species, hosting bats, lichens, and the bark even is a food for all sorts of animals and there are a lot of plants growing in the ground under the trees. In 2012 the first case of dieback appeared in the UK; it was inevitable as it had been tracked across Europe for a number of years, but it has the potential of killing all the ash trees in the country.
Rackham’s book covers all sorts of information about the uses of ash over the past millennia, as well as lots of detail on the disease that they are starting to succumb to. The greater threat though is from the Emerald Ash Borer, another insect that has been brought in to the UK as a side effect of the globalisation and international trade. He writes in a matter of fact style that belies that amount of research that has gone into the detail in the book, but his plea to those that read this book is that we take proper precautions to restrict items that are moved around the globe without any care for the possible damage and also that we start taking the protection of woodlands seriously.
The tree has a number of qualities that have made this an appealing tree to use since way back in the Neolithic time. It can be coppiced and pollarded and because of its versatility, ash has been used for tool handles, bowls, fodder for livestock, to warm our homes and you can even find it on the back of a Morris Minor Traveller. It is very rarely used in construction. An ash will support a number of species, hosting bats, lichens, and the bark even is a food for all sorts of animals and there are a lot of plants growing in the ground under the trees. In 2012 the first case of dieback appeared in the UK; it was inevitable as it had been tracked across Europe for a number of years, but it has the potential of killing all the ash trees in the country.
Rackham’s book covers all sorts of information about the uses of ash over the past millennia, as well as lots of detail on the disease that they are starting to succumb to. The greater threat though is from the Emerald Ash Borer, another insect that has been brought in to the UK as a side effect of the globalisation and international trade. He writes in a matter of fact style that belies that amount of research that has gone into the detail in the book, but his plea to those that read this book is that we take proper precautions to restrict items that are moved around the globe without any care for the possible damage and also that we start taking the protection of woodlands seriously.
April 24, 2021
Not an unappreciated or unnoticed tree here in Derbyshire although the author may be correct about that elsewhere. We are currently mourning the trees dying, or probably going to die from ash dieback. Both great trees and hedgerow trees are seen everywhere and their death will change the landscape. The wildlife trust says "it may take 20-30 years for mature trees to succumb. They may even appear to recover from the disease, but in the longer term are likely to die." and although there is still a form to notify instances of ash dieback on forestry.co.uk it is now so widespread here that the information will not be acted on. However there are plans to help the limestone plateau and ravines by replanting although the ravines will be a real challenge.
Ashbourne, Ashford-in-the-Water, Ashgate, Ashleyhay, Ashover - plenty of places names like that around here.
A very interesting book and it's very sad the author died shortly after as 7 years later it would have been great to have an updated version.
Ashbourne, Ashford-in-the-Water, Ashgate, Ashleyhay, Ashover - plenty of places names like that around here.
A very interesting book and it's very sad the author died shortly after as 7 years later it would have been great to have an updated version.
March 2, 2017
This is one of the most comprehensive books on the ash tree that I have been able to find. Most of the information focuses on the British Isle so if you are looking for a North American viewpoint, you won't find it. Even so, this is an excellent resource for those readers interested in learning more about this 'under-appreciated' tree. There are six sections: The ash tree: what it is and how it behaves; the ash tree in prehistory and history; Veteran, ancient and exceptional ash trees; Cultural, spiritual and material ash; Pests and diseases; and recent past and future. Included are extensive details of the 2012 threat from Ash Disease and a limited account of the Emerald Ash Borer invasion in the United States and Canada.
May 22, 2020
This extremely useful short book was written in response to the recent emergence of ash disease sometimes called ash dieback, though dieback can have other causes too. It will help develop an understanding of ash trees, their uses and history, comparisons to other large tree species and their ecology. We can't travel in Britain because of Covid19 but we can still find many examples of the trees mentioned and their features in a reasonably sized park and focussing on the detail of these trees is very relaxing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2016
Interesting as a short introduction to the ash. I enjoyed the colour photos. I thought the book lacked a section on how to identify ash trees, this I felt would have been a nice introduction to the book. I feel myself having finished the book and learnt some interesting things but still mostly unable to identify an ash tree...
April 28, 2015
If there were a book like this on every tree in the world, I'd read them all. Oliver Rackham's unbelievable encyclopedic knowledge of trees and their history was unparalleled. He will be missed.
May 29, 2024
Oliver Rackham observes late in this book, one can only imagine with a certain amount of resigned annoyance, that in all the vaunted generations of British and European bucolic and romantic painters no one, to his knowledge, has ever depicted a tree accurately.
Being a prominent historical ecologist and specialist in woodland, what Rackham meant by "accurately" was that no artist had ever painted or drawn a tree with sufficient detail, correctly observed, that he could deduce its species. He could say "oh, that's clearly an oak tree" because everyone paints oak trees, or because an oak is the correct metaphor in the scene, or because it has acorns, but John Constable and so on had never painted a tree Rackham saw which had acorns and got the leaves right, and the growth habit of the trees, the spread of the canopy, the twisting and runneling of the trunk.
This peculiar book reads like Mr. Rackham's response to that small frustration. Some 140 of the books 184 pages are dedicated to describing the ash tree in minute, careful, exacting detail. Another 25 or so pages are given over to references. The rest deals with mythology, historical resonances, the Ash Disease that threatens to eradicate Britain's ash trees (as elms and chestnuts have been scythed from North America), and the observation—critically important, brilliantly argued, but expressed to my knowledge only in about three pages of a strange little book about ash trees—that shipping commercial quantities of soil around the world, not to mention industrially-producing saplings and shipping them across continents and oceans, has about the same effect on the disease load of native tree populations as Columbus and his smallpox-ridden Santa Maria had on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. I've never seen so eloquent an argument against globalisation and thoughtlessness made in so small a space.
Being a prominent historical ecologist and specialist in woodland, what Rackham meant by "accurately" was that no artist had ever painted or drawn a tree with sufficient detail, correctly observed, that he could deduce its species. He could say "oh, that's clearly an oak tree" because everyone paints oak trees, or because an oak is the correct metaphor in the scene, or because it has acorns, but John Constable and so on had never painted a tree Rackham saw which had acorns and got the leaves right, and the growth habit of the trees, the spread of the canopy, the twisting and runneling of the trunk.
This peculiar book reads like Mr. Rackham's response to that small frustration. Some 140 of the books 184 pages are dedicated to describing the ash tree in minute, careful, exacting detail. Another 25 or so pages are given over to references. The rest deals with mythology, historical resonances, the Ash Disease that threatens to eradicate Britain's ash trees (as elms and chestnuts have been scythed from North America), and the observation—critically important, brilliantly argued, but expressed to my knowledge only in about three pages of a strange little book about ash trees—that shipping commercial quantities of soil around the world, not to mention industrially-producing saplings and shipping them across continents and oceans, has about the same effect on the disease load of native tree populations as Columbus and his smallpox-ridden Santa Maria had on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. I've never seen so eloquent an argument against globalisation and thoughtlessness made in so small a space.
August 28, 2017
What an amazing little book. I bought this as a work-related purchase but read it for leisure. I certainly didn't expect to be laughing out loud at a nonfiction book on trees! But i did.
From describing the tree, its preferred habitat, pollarding and coppicing effects, pests, diseases, advantages... this book covers it all, but in plain, every day, easy to read format.
I agree with another review that I read: If there was a book like this on each tree in the world, I would read it. I'm very sad that the opportunity for this author to write them has passed. He has the perfect personality to blend with the presentation of his vast knowledge.
From describing the tree, its preferred habitat, pollarding and coppicing effects, pests, diseases, advantages... this book covers it all, but in plain, every day, easy to read format.
I agree with another review that I read: If there was a book like this on each tree in the world, I would read it. I'm very sad that the opportunity for this author to write them has passed. He has the perfect personality to blend with the presentation of his vast knowledge.
May 3, 2021
A wonderful book that has a distinctly 'two pace' feel.
At the start you have a slow moving catalogue of data - presented with a feeling of restraint by an expert who is waiting to say something more important.
The last third in the faster moving, important bit: it really is a call to arms to look after trees in a whole new way. To allow them to be more natural, and (most importantly) to stop importing trees and pests which are alien to the UK, when such processes are not really needed.
A really interesting book, but a much missed expert. SM
At the start you have a slow moving catalogue of data - presented with a feeling of restraint by an expert who is waiting to say something more important.
The last third in the faster moving, important bit: it really is a call to arms to look after trees in a whole new way. To allow them to be more natural, and (most importantly) to stop importing trees and pests which are alien to the UK, when such processes are not really needed.
A really interesting book, but a much missed expert. SM
March 28, 2025
At a mere 35 minutes, this was an unusual listen. It started off sounding like some period piece, involving, what sounded to be a lesson on interior decorating. But then the tone gradually changed and the story grew darker. By the end, it had morphed into something very sinister and haunting. I was impressed with this short tale. I will be looking for more works by the author. The narrator was good.
August 23, 2018
Not a bad book, but somewhat lacking in personality.
January 26, 2016
have just reviewed this for my blog. Beginning of review follows - take the link to read the rest of it!
Everyone knows ash trees. They are one of those trees that are simply there. Seldom huge and spectacular, or ancient and excessively gnarled or especially anything. We don’t generally eat their nuts or play with them or watch for them or decorate our houses with their leaves. But ash trees are always there. Ash is a tree that doesn’t quite. It produces wood but not that hard or strong or long lasting timber. That wood rots quickly. It doesn’t burn well....
http://creepingtoad.blogspot.co.uk/20...
Everyone knows ash trees. They are one of those trees that are simply there. Seldom huge and spectacular, or ancient and excessively gnarled or especially anything. We don’t generally eat their nuts or play with them or watch for them or decorate our houses with their leaves. But ash trees are always there. Ash is a tree that doesn’t quite. It produces wood but not that hard or strong or long lasting timber. That wood rots quickly. It doesn’t burn well....
http://creepingtoad.blogspot.co.uk/20...
August 23, 2016
A very focussed book. The details and history are really well gone in to. The Ash trees in this country are endangered by the farming out of decisions affecting their health and likelihood to even survive. The decisions are based on financial not arboricultural factors too often. They import trees with soil that may be disease or pest contaminated, when they are easily grown here. Recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about this lovely tree's history and place in our countryside.
December 26, 2019
Lots of interesting and helpful information. Could use a little more updating but a great springboard into other tree books.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews