This thing has bugged me for a long time, does the name refer to trees or ash (volcanic activity)?

Because we can't travel there yet, (Maybe we will in Book III), we're not really sure. I always assumed it would be volcanic.

That's an interesting question. I also always assumed it meant volcanic activity, but it would actually be more interesting if it referred to trees. The Eschalon World Map would tend to point against the latter interpretation. But I would definitely like it better if it was trees...

If you wonder about the trees, I saw it in an old post by Dragonlady.