Dave Greene, a NYSG community issues specialist, and Peter Smallidge, a Cornell Extension state forester, are collaborating with the residents of the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve in upstate New York. Basketmakers pound black ash logs into strips. Special knives are used to make the strips wider or thinner, depending on the need of the basketmaker. Baskets range from utilitarian pack baskets to delicate pieces that can be used to store jewelry.
Black ash is a wetlands species and grows slowly.
To ensure the seedlings' survival, they will be planted in areas that traditionally supported black ash as well as in some experimental sites. The tree shelters are four-foot long tubes, made of either solid plastic or wire mesh, that encompass the seedlings. The sugar maple is used for maple syrup and sugar, and plays an important cultural role in a ceremony that marks the start of spring and the start of new life. The aromatic sweetgrass is used as incense in smudge ceremonies, as well as in basketmaking. Greene also received a grant from New York State's Rural Development Council that will be used for a project leading to a video demonstrating black ash basketmaking.