The black ash is a slow-growing tree of swampy boreal woodlands. Other common names are swamp ash, basket ash, brown ash, hoop ash, and water ash. It is a broadleaved hardwood. Commonly, the largest trees reach a height of 18 to 21 metres (60 to 70 feet). Black ash wood, easily split, has been much used for baskets by Mi’kmaq people. The seeds are an important food to game birds, songbirds, and small animals, and the twigs and leaves are preferred by deer and moose. In New Brunswick, black ash is being harmed by the Emerald ash borer beetle.