Sassafras (spelling)
As the former owner of Shaw & Tenney, I went on a search twenty years ago for sassafras of sufficient size for paddles. As there is no commercial use for sassafras, the only way it could be bought is in large quantities ( 2000 bf and up).
I went to the local R C & D (rural conservation and development) division of the US Forest Service. They said that it only grew large enough in western Kentucky and Tennessee and southern Indiana. They got in touch with the Licking River, KY R C & D who did not have any luck in finding it, so they gave it to the Tennessee Forest Service who included it in their monthly Bulletin. the result was that a couple of mills in Indiana had some available, which I purchased. That's a long story, but I wanted to point out that the government sometimes works pretty hard for us.
FYI......Sassafras is expensive because there is very little use for the offal after cutting the clear.....it's a great wood for paddles; light and flexible, yet strong......while all woods darken with exposure to light, sassafras continues to darken throughout it's life......I have 15 year old paddles that are the color of walnut.
Keep looking, it's worth the search!
