FAN-WESTTM ASH
(Fraxinus 'Fan-West')
(Photo courtesy City of Tempe)
In the mid 1960's Mr. Eddie Fanick introduced Fan-WestTM and Fan-Tex AshTM. Fan-WestTM is a natural hybrid of Texas Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and Arizona Ash (Fraxinus velutina). The L. E. Cooke Co planted Fan-WestTM in our orchard in 1966 and it still looks good today.
We had many Green Ash and hardy Ash for Canada and northern states. We began with Fan-TexTM in 1968 and it became popular in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and some in Southern California.
November 8, 1973, Mr. Fanick informed us the Fan-WestTM buds out late and he found it to be hardy - good for cold weather areas. The variety is sterile (seedless) and defoliates early in the fall similar to other Green Ash. It is a very sturdy tree.
We listed Fan-WestTM in 1974. Like other Green Ash at the time, it was not a major seller for us. Part of the problem we had too many hardy Ash. We discontinued sales in 1998.
We relisted it in 2005 by request as customers in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico were becoming impressed with the tree's performance. The vigorous, sterile ash is super tough. It thrives in poor, dry soils and also grows well in cold, windy, harsh locations. This outstanding deciduous shade tree has a strong upright central leader and broad, rounded crown with great branching.
The question is - how hardy? It is good in northern Texas and grows in New Mexico which can drop to below zero for short periods. I do not see where we have sold Fan-West in the northern states like we do the Marshall Seedless Ash or some of the other hardy selections. The tree has the growth habits of other Green Ash, but I do not believe we have properly tested Fan-WestTM. Unfortunately in early 1970's, we had two Green Ash, 2 Blue Ash, holotricha (Moraine Ash), and two American Ash which were all hardy in very cold climates, so we never tested Fan-West in more extreme cold.
Questions: Will it live and grow in Reno, Nevada? I wrote the grandson Mike Fanick. He does not believe so. He said in the 1980's they saw damage on trees with temperatures with 0° to10° F. He felt a constant temperature below 0° would kill this variety. This is not surprising as it has Arizona Ash in the parentage with Green Ash .
Bob Ludekens 2-25-2014