Is Sweet Gum A Hardwood Tree

Sweet gum wood though has been another story.

Is sweet gum a hardwood tree.

Sweet gum trees are found throughout the eastern united states. A tree can appear to have balanced weight distribution in the crown but there s no way to know how the tree has responded to that stress. I now fall sweet gum in early winter and let the logs lay sealed in the shade a couple of feet off the ground for several months. Because the sapwood is so wide only older mature trees will yield the darker redgum heartwood lumber.

It did serve as a curative for confederate soldiers dysentery and was harvested during the second world war when asian supplies were cut off. Despite the world demand for liquidambar through the centuries little was done with the yield of the north american sweet gum tree. Sweet gum is a native species to the southeast. As you learned earlier sweet gum is easily identifiable as it comes from a tree that produces star shaped leaves that contain five points along with spiked fruit.

It is not an invasive species. Look for the absolute straightest trunks with the least crotch wood. It s considered a valuable tree used for lumber and furniture production as well as for ornamental purposes. The liquidambar styraciflua growth rate is moderate to rapid.

However it can be a pioneer tree species and will be one of the first species to recolonize an open area but if you leave succession to do its part you will see that sweet gum certainly do not take over in the long run. The yellowish colored sap technically called gum in a hardwood tree is exuded from bark wounds and can actually be boiled down and concentrated into a salve that will reportedly cure skin. The wood has a unique reddish brown color with sapwood that s nearly white and black grain running through the hardwood. Hmmm that s not all true.

Is sweet gum a hardwood or softwood. A sweet gum is a deciduous tree in the witch hazel family that ranges in height from 60 to 100 feet and has a narrow oval canopy. Such trees can grow to be as old as 400 years old and they can reach towering heights of 150 feet. Timber from the sweet gum tree is a finely textured moderately heavy white colored sapwood with a light pink tint.