I have limited experience with it. What I did is just treat it like any white wood. I cut it down, split it, and sealed the ends. A few months later I started working on it. The only think I'm curious about is how to get the bark off. I left mine on. Try peeling it off. I cut mine in December so that may be the reason I couldn't peel the bark off. Best thing to do is start with your worst stave and learn from it.