Black Gum

There’s a mature Black Gum tree, maybe 80-85 feet tall, at the top of my driveway.

Black Gums rot a bit too fast, and are hard to split, but it’s an otherwise tough wood, often used when making wood palettes.

Black Gum and its dark friend, Black Locust, are both major sources of honey production in the Spring. 

Black Gums often develop hollows used as hives by wild bees, and early beekeepers used to cut similar sections for honey production prior to 1852 and the creation of the modern box hive.