I'm not sure where this should go, so let me know if it needs to be somewhere else.
I'm about to start work on a historical project having to do with Sengoku era Japanese gunnery. It involves trying to figure out original load data.
To that end, we're trying to replicate original powder recipes from surviving documents. The woods mentioned are Yellow Catalpa and Japanese Sumac. Those are a bit out of my reach. However, I discovered another species on this side of the globe that is very close to Japanese Sumac.
That species is none other than "Tree of Heaven", also known as "stink tree" or "varnish tree". It is an invasive species that is very abundant.....everywhere but here.
I'm looking for some raw wood. I need to replicate the original charcoal-making method, which is a bit different from the ones we normally use.
If anybody in GA has some they want to part with, please let me know.