sumac

[ledwards]

There are several species of sumac - most of which are not poisonous. I have access to some and was wondering if anyone had experience burning it.

 

[ledwards]

There are several types of sumac - most of which are not poisonous. I have access to some and was wondering if anyone has experience burning it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Around here we have quite a bit of staghorn sumac . . . more of an overgrown shrub or undersized tree really . . . and when I have burned some in the fire pit (since my wife thinks the sumac is just plain ugly for some reason) it has burned up pretty fast . . . comparable or even faster than many of my softwood species I have burned. That said . . . sumac here may be completely different from sumac in WNC.

 

[Wood Duck]

You probably have either Staghorn Sumac or Smooth Sumac, or Ailanthus which really isn't a sumac but is sometimes called sumac. The first two -Staghorn and Smooth - get bunches of berries on them that stand upright, so the plants are easy to recognize. I have cut a few and the wood seems barely woody, more like a heavy duty tomato plant stem. It seems like it would burn fast without much heat, and the trees never get very large. Ailanthus, also called Tree of Heaven or sometimes 'sumac', has leaves like sumac and grows in field edges, roadsides, etc. like sumac. It gets much bigger than sumac, so if you have sumacs larger than about 6 inches in diameter I think it has to be ailanthus. Ailanthus has light wood, stinks when you cut it, and is fairly lightweight, but I would guess makes much better firewood than sumacs. I think it would be about like aspen or willow - in other words lightweight, but it will heat the place.

 

[firefighterjake]

That's strange . . . posted a reply already to this thread . . . and it is already gone.

Around here we have staghorn sumac . . . it's more of an overgrown shrub or miserly little tree that doesn't usually grow very tall or wide . . . I don't know of anyone who cuts it for firewood . . . what little I have burned in my fire pit has burned quickly . . . as fast if not faster than some of the softwoods I have burned. That said . . . it could be that your sumac and our sumac that we're talking about is quite different.

 

[firefighterjake]

OK, good to see I am not losing my mind . . . double post here and in The Hearth . . . thought either my post was being deleted or I was losing my mind.

Incidentally, if you have staghorn sumac you can actually use the flower/berries to make "lemonade" if you are so inclined . . . I tried some a few years back and have to admit it was pretty good.

http://www.natureskills.com/lemonade_recipe.html

 

[ledwards]

Thanks all. Wood Duck, you put me on the trail to ailanthus (Tree of Heaven) and after some leaf research, found out that mine is indeed TOH. Never would have known - thanks so much.

 

[begreen]

It can grow to have a decent size trunk in some areas. And folks burn it.

 

[billb3]

weird thread anomally


I find it hard to tell the difference between poison sumac and regular sumac ( even with good pics) so I stay far far away from it all unless it is on a mountain no where near wetlands

 

[Flatbedford]

Fast growing garbage wood. IMHO

 

[Flatbedford]

Fast growing. IMHO Garbage wood.

 

[ecocavalier02]

Longs as it's
Not poison sumac

 

[basswidow]

Ledwards,

I have about 3 acres of mostly Tree of Heaven. I don't make a point to harvest it, but if the wind drops one, I will cut it up and burn it. Some of mine are very mature and big (good sized trunks). The trees grow straight too! When cut, the rounds are VERY heavy. They split with ease. The bark usually dries and peels back like paper. It's decent enough burning wood. No worse then poplar. It's actually more dense then poplar and seems like more BTU's. I like it because its free wood that burns and heats. My wife swears it gives off no heat at all.

I wouldn't go overboard getting a huge scrounge of it - if you have other wood available. But it's decent free wood.

 

[Willman]

staghorn sumac is a great nectar source for honey bees.

Will

 

[CTYank]

It can grow to have a decent size trunk in some areas. And folks burn it.

Ailanthus is an invasive that's trying to take over any available land in the NE. Even if you cut it to the ground, you have to apply herbicide (maybe more than once) to kill it.

It burns like spit.