Uses:
It was highly prized by the Indians for dugout canoes, and some sassafras lumber is now used for small boats. It is also used in limited quantities as paneling and general millwork.
Description:
The wood of sassafras is easily confused with black ash, with resemblance in color, grain and texture. The sapwood is light yellow and the heartwood varies from dull grayish-brown to dark brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The wood has a distinct odor on freshly cut surfaces.
Range:
The range of the sassafras covers most of the eastern half of the United States from southeastern Iowa and eastern Texas eastward.
Physical Properties:
Sassafras is moderately heavy (31lbs./cu.ft.), moderately hard, moderately weak in bending and endwise compression, quite high in shock resistance, and quite durable when exposed to conditions conducive to decay.
