White ash, red label: Endangered white ash at Val de la Mare

It’s no secret that Val de la Mare Arboretum is host to numerous rare and endangered species. One is a splendid white ash (Fraxinus americana) in the picnic area that tints spectacularly in autumn. It’s a local champion too, standing at around 12m. Planted in the 1980s, the tree has thrived, but its species has since become critically endangered.

This white ash’s story is part of the arboretum’s, which began in 1975 when established by the government with funding from the Moores family of Littlewoods fame. Using carefully sourced seeds, planting started at the arboretum’s top end, edging towards the reservoir.

In April 1977 tragedy struck the Moores family when Nigel, son and nephew of Littlewoods co-founders Cecil and John, died at 40. The former racing driver veered off road in his Land Rover in southern France, also injuring two passengers. Having moved to Jersey in 1974, he was being groomed as heir to the Littlewoods empire. The arboretum was dedicated to his memory.

By the 2000s maintenance levels had fallen away but in 2012 Jersey Trees for Life stepped in to restore the arboretum in partnership with landowners, Jersey Water. Today the arboretum is flourishing, resplendent with new tree collections and paths.

Back to white ash, it’s a large, fast-growing, deciduous shade tree, native to North America, that can reach 15-25m high and wide. Status apart, it’s notable for its vivid autumn colours: dark green leaves that turn yellow then purple. Leaf undersides otherwise have a frosted, bluish look (‘glaucous’) and fruit are single-winged, oar-shaped ‘samara’ produced by females.

Like most ash species, this one is hardy. Tolerant of coastal conditions and wind, it’s easy to plant and cultivate while happiest in well-drained, non-acidic soil. So why critically endangered? You might think ash dieback but that’s a European issue.

The culprit is the emerald ash borer beetle. Imported from Eurasia in the 1990s, it’s potentially deadlier than Dutch elm disease and chestnut blight combined, given the 7.5 billion ash trees in the U.S. 50 million have already been bored to death.

So, the red label on the white ash at Val de la Mare is nothing to do with hazardous materials or whisky. It’s a botanical label to raise awareness of a critically endangered species that also happens to be a champion – and autumn’s the time to see it.

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