Sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum) grows as an understorey species in lower altitude wet forests throughout Tasmania. It is an aromatic evergreen tree with some quite distinctive qualities; the bark, sap and associated oils are highly aromatic and smell like cinnamon, while its leaves have a strong sarsaparilla scent. The leaves are dark green, turning yellow as the tree ages. The best trees are found in gullies where Sassafras may reach 45m in height and almost a metre in diameter.

If the tree is infected with a staining fungus it produces blackheart sassafras. Blackheart is a timber with distinctive dark brown, black and even green streaks running through the wood. Blackheart is highly prized for decorative work and bowl turning and no two pieces are ever the same.

Sassafras timber is renowned in furniture use as a solid, veneer, or as a laminated board. It is used for paneling, mouldings, joinery, veneers, cabinet making and turnery.

It's versatile; while the wood is light and strong, it is rather soft and easily worked. It has an intermediate density between hardwoods such as eucalypt and softwoods.

Sassafras is a component of wet eucalypt forest and young rain forest where it may live for up to 150-200 years. It is a heavy seed producer although germination can be erratic. Seedlings are subject to heavy browsing by native animals and many young trees become established where they are inaccesible, on mounds or on manfern trunks.

Much sassafras is established from coppice and multi-stemmed trunks are very common. Now that white sassafras has found favour with consumers, manufacturers have access to a wider resource and designs created specifically for products in white or golden sassafras are becoming more available. Sassafras timber will always be accessible to the furniture industry in company with other forest produce. While ever wet mixed and eucalypt forests are sustainably harvested for eucalypt veneer and sawlog, sassafras will be available as a by-product.