The white ash is a species of ash tree native to eastern and central North America. It looks similar to the green ash, but the undersides of the leaves are lighter than the topsides. The emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle that is destructive to ash trees. The borer has killed millions of ash trees already and threatens many millions more in the United States. White ash is killed very rapidly. Because white ash wood was used for everyday purposes, the tree was widely cultivated. The wood is quite dense, very strong, and straight-grained. This makes it an excellent wood to be used for handles, flooring, baseball bats, and furniture. Unfortunately not much ash wood is now available.