It is sad. Something good will come of it. In fact, the woodpecker populations are doing well here. Red headed wood peckers are very common now, while before the ash death I'd see one a year; now I commonly see three pair just driving my horse the two miles to work. My dad said the woodpeckers flourished in the 50's too when the Dutch elm disease came through and the elms died. He still talks sadly of loosing those trees. Sigh.
I'll look up green ash and see if I can find it. Kinda pointless to learn it now though. Thanks for telling me about it.
Stmcglynn, sorry to turn the topic from your amazing canoe to woodpeckers, of all things. I'm curious to know if you carved the carrying thwart. I'd like one on my canoe, but I'm not sure I could sustain enough controlled whittling to get it to come out right. (!) Did you make yours? Is it also ash, like your tag read the thwarts to be?