Ash Rise with the SFMA

We are truly delighted to have been included in the Ash Rise project run by the Scottish Furniture Makers Society.

Ash is one of our most versatile woods. When dried it is light, flexible and strong and does not easily splinter. For centuries, it was crafted into longbows, wooden handles for tools, agricultural implements and wheels for carts; and before the invention of man-made materials, it was used to make tennis rackets, hockey sticks and cricket bats. Today ash continues to be used for the internal frame of the famous Morgan sports car. As well as its practical qualities, its distinctive grain makes ash an ideal wood for furniture and objects such as spoons, bowls, candlesticks and caskets.Today though many of Scotland’s ash trees are blighted by ash dieback caused by the fungus, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. This causes leaf loss and many hundreds of ash trees have perished or felled in the hope to stop the spread of the disease. You can read more about ash dieback on Scottish Forestry’s website.

In looking to raise public awareness of the devasting effects of ash dieback, Scottish Furniture Makers Association have initiated Ash Rise to celebrate this spectacular tree, highlight its brilliance as material and the creative skills of Scotland’s many outstanding makers and artists.

Last year, SFMA felled a number of trees affected by ash dieback at Killearn Estate Woodlands in Lanarkshire. These trees have since been milled and are currently seasoning at Scottish Wood near Dunfermline. This ash is to be used for the exhibition pieces and will be made available to us in order to create the bespoke piece of furniture.