sasafras trees

[KIRK63]

what kind of wood is sasafras and is it burnable for the fire place does it heat well or not. can somebody give me athe low down on this kind of tree is it good or not? Has been standing for a while and is quite dry got at least a chord of it . is there another site I can get infor on this and other types of wood?

Kirk63

 

[kennertree]

Sassafras is the only wood I haven't burned. I'm sure it burns great though. Check it out on the wood chart, I think there is a sticky here for it.

 

[woodbooga]

This subject was dealt with in a fairly recent thread here:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=71175&highlight=sassafrass

I recall some folks with experience chimed in. Never handled the stuff myself and have only seen a few examples myself - likely planted specimens given their proximity to an old cellar hole out in the woods.

 

[Brushwacker]

Most people I know like sassafras. Not the btu's of oaks, but close to cherry according to charts I have seen. It throws sparks more then most species which isn't a big deal as long as the firebox is closed or screened off and many people actually like listening to it pop and crackle like rice crispies when the bark is burning off a new log on the fire. Smells good splits very easy , a bit easiar for the chain to slice makes it a pleasure processing to firewood. It burns decent green also. When you cut it , it feels it has less water content then other species . When its seasoned it doesn't feel it loses the % of weight most species do. Its nice to have some heaviar dry woods for the very coldest days but the sassafrass is not bad in my book and will keep you warm then too , just takes a little more.

 

[TKeller]

Sassafras is just okay.

Depends on what you are used to probably. I burn mostly locust, oak, cherry, ash, soft maple, persimmon, osage orange, mulberry and sassafras.
Sassafras is at the bottom. It also pops/sparks some. Bugs also get in it after a while. But I have so much of it around here that I mix it with other harder woods and it is okay. Alot of guys like to use it as a barbecuing and smoker wood. It really is a fairly soft and light wood. But if you need to cut it down out of the way and are in a need of wood use it.

 

[extraspecialman]

sassafras smells really good,and splits the best kindling you ever seen,because its straight grained .The bark and wood both resemble locust,although the btus and burn time dont compare with locust.I have burned alot of it and I would compare the heat to hard maple,and the burn time to soft maple.Ive cut some big sassafras trees,some were almost 2 feet in diameter,and split them with a poll axe.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

In northern Kentucky the Locust and Sassafras are the first trees to take over when a field is no longer cut - along with Honeysuckle shrubs which have little use and are very invasive. The locust is great for fence posts and firewood - for me the straight Locust becomes posts and the crooked stuff firewood. Both the Sassafras and Locust gets infected with black ants as it gets up to about a foot in diameter and dies after the ants have hollowed it out.

Sassafras cuts easy, is light, and burns fine but is not real long lasting in the furnace. I mix it when burning and it does fine.

 

[Gumnuts]

Over here in Aus we've got several varieties .Considered a choice furniture timber. Lots of Black hearted sass was milled and distributed amongst the wood wollies a few years back.Tends to get heart shake splits if not carefully dried.
Creamy oily silky finish.Sold for a premium $.
- Graeme

 

[derecskey]

I've now got about 2 cord of it C/S/Stacked, and have about 15 dead standing sassafras. Very few limbs (easy to fell and limb). Not overly large. Relatively dry. Easy to cut. Very easy to split. Extremely nice rootbeer/pine smell. A few of the trees were hollow. I'm thinking and hoping it's the ants that killed them and not some disease. Wouldn't mind keeping a few alive. Must have been pioneer trees in our forest though.