Photo: Xyla Foxlin/Reddit

This Woman Drove Cross-Country Visiting a Sawmill in Each State and Created a Map of Local Wood

United States News
by Eben Diskin Feb 16, 2021

A cross-country road trip visiting national parks is a pretty common itinerary. A road trip where sawmills are your focus is much more unique. Xyla Foxlin planned a trip to do exactly that.

Foxlin drove across the country — from Cleveland, Ohio, to Los Angeles, California — visiting a sawmill in every state she visited and making a map of the local wood she collected on her way. She posted pictures of her experience, and the map, on Reddit and answered questions from Redditors about the trip. She also released a YouTube video documenting her travels and highlights from her road trip.

In the comment section on Reddit, Foxlin explains that she managed to get some now-rare American Chestnut in Tennessee and petrified wood in Utah, as well as many other cool finds. Foxlin is also accepting wood donations from other states, and she has already received samples from Hawaii and Alaska.

The woods used on Foxlin’s map are:

  • Ohio: maple
  • Kentucky: Kentucky coffee tree
  • Tennessee: American chestnut
  • Arkansas: shortleaf pine​
  • Oklahoma: persimmon
  • Texas: mesquite
  • New Mexico: alligator juniper
  • Colorado: northern white cedar
  • Utah: petrified wood
  • Nevada: cottonwood
  • California: red gum eucalyptus and redwood
sawmill wood map

Photo: Xyla Foxlin/Youtube

Her video goes into great detail about the unique forests in each state and what distinguishes the wood found there, as well as the history of the sawmills she visits. Beyond simply visiting sawmills and forests, you’ll also see Foxlin canoeing, camping, and exploring some of the country’s most beautiful areas, which might inspire you for your next road trip.

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