now that I know what it looks like(thanks guys), I’m finding it everywhere. I guessing a couple hundred years ago, there would have been locust groves all over the place around here.
Black locust is a pioneer tree - one of the first to sprout on open land, and able to grow in poor conditions to fix nitrogen and break up rocky soil for later growth. Makes a heck of a fence post with its rot resistance, and awesome firewood!
I have black locust that has been sitting on the ground for years and it's still fine. One of the best firewoods available.
I know I should just buy a moisture meter, but how long do you think it would take to dry out once split, given that the bark is peeling off quite easily? I found a number of similarly sized trunks left to rot in a pile near a playground I walk my kids to. I am curious why hedge has such a good reputation as firewood? I get that it is above average on the btu, and that is good enough for me, as I’ll work these in as my late night logs to go with my heap of popple and maple. Rot resistance helps on the firewood front too as I can pile it up and forget about it for a while What sets it apart from a wood like bradford pear? Similar btu (within 10%) and cure times per the chart. Anything else?
THe down side to locust is its high silica content, leaves tons of clinkers and the bark leaves lots of ash.
They can indeed grow really old. I have two big ones on the property that are on black and white pictures from the early 30's when the house was build. In our region there's tons of it. It is used in many toys on child playgrounds around here.
So I can use maple and cherry When it is cold, and then yellow poplar and locust when it is “stinking cold.”
ok one thing is that hedge is osage orange, black locust is not the same as hedge. hedge burns as hot as coal, it will warp a mild steel stove or crack a cast iron stove. hedge is at the very top of the btu chart. Sweep's Library - Firewood Heat Value Comparison Charts
I think this is a black locust I snapped at a stop-light this weekend. That could keep you warm for a year or ten. If you didn’t crack your stove first.
Nice score. I have found it on the ground where the bark has been gone for years and at first glance looks like a moss covered rotted log. Until you cut it and find it’s literally rock solid and the chain goes dull after one tank it’s so hard. I always laugh to myself thinking about how many people passed up on some of the best firewood wood to be found!
hard to tell. Bark and grain remind me of elm? Was it stringy to split? I forget if your a hand or hydro splitter mrfancyplants
I keep drooling over this locust on my way to work. My wife specifically forbid me from scrounging on the shoulder of the beltway. Do you think I could skid it somewhere safer with my corolla?
