In Ohio it grows in the northern half of the state. Although the wood of this tree has no commercial value, people have employed parts of the tree for useful objects. Some people have used the tough, flexible branches to make a sort of cord or rope. Others find the inner bark useful for making fish lines and fish nets. The main use of this tree, however, is in ornamental plantings and in preventing stream bank erosion.
Some landscapers consider it to be the most attractive of our native willows.