Wood: The blue ash is moderately important as a timber tree. The wood is often sold to mills as white ash. It is moderately hard and heavy, durable, coarse-grained and somewhat brittle. The wood is used for flooring and interior finishes. The heartwood is light yellow, streaked with brown; the sapwood is paler and very thick. The sapwood is favored for use as tool handles due to its strength, appearance and thickness.
Wildlife: The seeds are a moderately important food source for birds and mammals. Deer feed on the young twigs and leaves.
Horticulture: This fast-growing, long-lived ash is sometimes used as an ornamental shade tree in parks and gardens and would probably be used more if it was easier to propagate. 'True Blue' is an alkaline-tolerant cultivar that keeps its green color throughout the growing season and does not "yellow-out."
