--- title: Ash Trees in Reno and Carson City | Tree Guide url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/ash/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Tree guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/) - Ash trees: Modesto, Raywood and green ash # Ash trees: Modesto, Raywood and green ash Ash is widely planted as a street and yard tree in Reno, Sparks and Carson City, including green ash, Modesto ash and Raywood ash. They give quick shade, but drought, wounds and aging cause dieback, and large ones drop limbs. - **Botanical name:** Fraxinus (green ash: F. pennsylvanica) - **Type:** Deciduous shade tree - **Height:** Green ash about 100 feet in the south of its range, typically half that in the north (USFS) - **Native habitat:** Mainly streamside; restricted to riparian areas at the western edge - **Hardiness:** Zones 6b to 7b across the service area - **Common forms here:** Green ash, Modesto ash, Raywood ash Ash have opposite branches and compound leaves. Many planted ash are now old enough to need a professional look. ## How do you identify an ash? Branches and buds sit opposite each other in pairs, not alternating. Leaves are compound, with 5 to 9 leaflets on a central stem. Fall color is yellow in green ash and burgundy-purple in Raywood. Bark on old trees has a diamond pattern of interlacing ridges. Modesto ash tends to have a rounded crown and lighter foliage; Raywood has a narrower, upright habit with glossy leaves. - Opposite branches and buds - Compound leaves with several leaflets - Diamond-pattern bark on older trees - Winged, paddle-shaped seeds on female trees ## Where does ash grow here? Ash is a planted tree on valley and foothill lots in Reno (4,500 feet), Sparks (4,400 feet), Carson City (4,700 feet) and the Carson Valley (4,700 to 4,900 feet), in zones 6b to 7b. The Forest Service says green ash is mainly a streamside species, restricted to riparian areas in the westernmost part of its range, and has escaped into the wild in Utah and Colorado. In town it depends on lawn and drip water, since the nearest NOAA stations record 7 to 9 inches of precipitation a year. ## What goes wrong with ash here? Drought comes first. The Forest Service reports that green ash has survived drought in several areas but is a streamside species and the author cautioned against planting it on upland sites with fine-textured soil. A thinning top, small leaves and dead twigs in the crown signal water stress. See [drought stress and dieback](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/drought-stress-and-dieback/). Wounds from mowers, cuts and storm breakage let decay in, and old ash drop large limbs in snow and wind. Co-dominant trunks that split from a V are common. A sound tree with a weak union can sometimes be held by [cabling and bracing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/cabling-bracing/). Borers and cankers can also be involved; an arborist identifies the cause and we do not spray. ## What does an arborist check on an ash? We check the unions, the diamond-patterned bark for wounds and sunken patches, the crown for dead twigs and the root flare for lifted soil. An ash on a lot that has had its lawn replaced, its irrigation changed or its roots cut by trenching for a line is worth a closer look. ## Pruning timing and removal Dead wood and hazards come off at any time. Other pruning is usually done in late winter while the tree is dormant. Thin to reduce the weight of long limbs and take out deadwood. Do not top. Removal is the usual answer for a tree that is mostly dead, has trunk decay or lifted roots, or has a split union over a house. A certified arborist assesses the tree on a free estimate. See [large tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/large-tree-removal/) and [dead wooding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/dead-wooding/). For firewood, call the office. ### Sources - [USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System: Fraxinus pennsylvanica](https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/frapen/all.html) (read October 17, 2026) - [USDA Agricultural Research Service: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (PRISM, Oregon State University)](https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/) (read October 17, 2026) - [NOAA NCEI: U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (read October 17, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [Honeylocust](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/honeylocust/) - [Drought stress and dieback](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/drought-stress-and-dieback/) - [Storm and snow-load breakage](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/storm-and-snow-load-breakage/) - [Tree cabling and bracing](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/cabling-bracing/) - [Large tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/large-tree-removal/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### What is the difference between Modesto and Raywood ash? Both are ash with compound leaves. Raywood has a narrower, upright shape and burgundy fall color, while Modesto has a rounder crown. ### Is green ash native to Nevada? The Forest Service reports it is nonnative in Utah and Colorado, where it escaped as an ornamental. We do not know of wild stands in our service area. ### Why is the top of my ash dying? Drought stress, borers, cankers and root damage can all cause it. An arborist should identify the cause before anyone cuts. ### Can you cable an ash with a split union? Often, if the rest of the tree is sound. We assess first, and removal is the answer when there is decay.