Extension Office Said No Go on Chinse Tallow by: Anonymous
A neighbor cut one down last month. They are consider an invasive in Florida. I got a few logs to split. Never burned it before, so called our extension office to see if there's any problem. They said they do not recommend burning inside. The sap is toxic. Outside should be ok.
Editor's Note
Thanks for the insight on this but I disagree with the Extension office on one very important point. Burning the wood outside is more dangerous than burning it indoors. In an efficient wood burning setup indoors, the smoke will only exit out the chimney, whereas burning it outside will have smoke going all over the place depending on which way the wind is blowing making it far more likely to be exposed to the smoke.
The bottom line with chinese tallow is that the sap is bad news. The most dangerous part about it is handling the wood during processing and getting sap in your eyes. It's best just to avoid the wood if possible, but if you do decide to burn it, make sure that you are safe about burning and handling it.
