Is Sweet Gum Tree A Hardwood

Sweetgum is a pioneer species often found after an area has been logged or clearcut and one of the most common tree species in the eastern united.

Is sweet gum tree a hardwood.

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 considered a hardwood species with wood weighing 52 pounds per cubic. American sweetgum liquidambar styraciflua also known as american storax hazel pine bilsted redgum satin walnut star leaved gum alligatorwood or simply sweetgum is a deciduous tree in the genus liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern north america and tropical montane regions of mexico and central america sweet gum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the. Sweetgum grows in moist soils of valleys and lower sloped areas.

Its heartwood is variable and ranges from dark brown to a lighter reddish brown. Is sweet gum a hardwood or softwood. The sweet gum tree attracts wildlife including blue jays cardinals mourning doves squirrels chipmunks and luna moths. Sweet gum wood though has been another story.

Timber from the sweet gum tree is a finely textured moderately heavy white colored sapwood with a light pink tint. It is low valued and currently rarely used except for industrial blocking and pallets. 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. It tends to warp and stain easily.

Sweetgum redgum star leaved gum alligator wood and gumtree habitat. Today the species usually has a wide. Despite the world demand for liquidambar through the centuries little was done with the yield of the north american sweet gum tree. Such trees can grow to be as old as 400 years old and they can reach towering heights of 150 feet.

It did serve as a curative for confederate soldiers dysentery and was harvested during the second world war when asian supplies were cut off. Sawing and drying sweet gum. February 14 2010.