Down here in the swamp it's about all I have to cut. There is some that I believe is maple and some small pin oaks but for the most part it's Sweet gum. I don't find it that bad to split with a hydraulic splitter. Actually it's not splitting it's more ripping. I make sure to keep a container under the splitter to catch all the fibers that rip away. It makes very good kindling. I get so much of that I gives big bags of it to friends to start there fires. Oh and you get used to the smell.
What??!! No sweetgum??!! I thought sweetgums were everywhere... I'm sure someone here could send you a few seedlings if you would like!
Sounds like a good idea to me. Everyone should have a little bit of sweetgum in their life just to keep things real.
We've got a bunch of it in our neighborhood. Those seed balls are a giant pain in the azz when I'm out walking the dog. Always wondered if it'd be worth harvesting should one come down in a storm. I might think twice if my piles are high enough...
