# African Sumac - cutting and storing



## WaterMonkey (Jun 25, 2008)

I have two African Sumacs on my backyard hillside. Through annual prunings I often end of with a couple of logs around 4" dia and about 24" long. I am thinking about saving them and storing them for later wood projects.

What is the best way to store the logs to dry?

I live in southern California.

Thanks


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

De-bark and coat the ends so drying will slow down. Isn't sumac an irritant?
Bill


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## cjwillie (Sep 6, 2011)

I've only heard of sumac as in "poison sumac" so I would research that wood before using it. The wood and dust could be toxic and cause problems you don't want to deal with. Better to be safe than sorry!


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

There is a couple different sumacs and some are supposed to be a pretty wood but very soft. There was one that filled my yard every summer with saplings but it was in the neighbor's yard so I couldn't cut it down.


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

Poison sumac has white drupes (berries). If the drupes are red, they can be made into a tea or dried and ground into a lemony tasting spice that's used in Mediterranean and North African dishes.


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