Courtesy of Blue Ridge Discovery Center, Virginia
Sassafras trees have distinctive mitten-shaped leaves. Long a prized wood for paddles, it could have multiple uses in boatbuilding, including planking.
Longtime WoodenBoat reader Larry Van Meter wrote: “I don’t recall seeing an article about the use of sassafras in hull construction. I have a sassafras paddle made by Shaw & Tenney in Orono, Maine, that is my favorite, and as one might expect it is both light and very flexible. I believe sassafras is also quite rot resistant, and that has caused me to think about its use for, say, skiff construction where one might otherwise choose Atlantic white cedar. Where I live near Delaware Bay in rural southern New Jersey, sassafras trees sometimes grow to 50′ to 60′ in height and as much as 24″ in diameter at breast height. Fairly long, wide boards are occasionally available from small, family-owned sawmills, and over the years I have used sassafras for garden furniture and other outdoor applications. Thank you for whatever advice you can provide.”
Our native sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is part of a small genus comprising only three species. The other two are native to mainland China and Taiwan. In the United States, S. albidum is found throughout the Eastern states, ranging from southern Maine to northern Florida and west to Missouri and eastern Texas. In size, sassafras ranges from small to moderately large, the latter found mostly in the rich, moist soils of the southern Appalachian and Ozark mountains. It generally consists of scattered trees, not pure stands. Because of its low abundance, it is a rare find at many lumberyards, where it is often mixed with black ash (Fraxinus nigra). The tree is easily identified in the forest by its mitten-shaped leaves.