1st time Honey locust?

Scrounged a facecord of honey locust today. Just wondering how it compares to black locust.

 

Maybe just a little sweeter with the honey, just make sure boo boo don't come dippin'

 

The only kind ive scrounged is the hybrid thornless yard tree variety and its only been this year. Its some dense stuff. I think the FHC chart rates it too low. Got over a cord SS with some skinnies to buck.
Did yours have the thorns?

 

I’ve never burned black locust. But I’ve burned lots of honey locust. It’s pretty easy to find around here. It’s about as good as firewood gets. Like Chvymn99 said. It takes longer than most firewood to season. But it’s worth the wait. I’ve got about a cord and a half ss’d. I save it for really cold nights. 2 or 3 splits in the Jotul before bed will keep the house warm until about 6 am.

 

It's great wood but as others have said it takes a while to season. If you have 3 years it's well worth the wait.

 

Yeah the fhc chart is low on this. In reality is a great high BTU wood. It's 27-28 mbtu a cord, just like black locust. I've burnt it with 2 years drying time and I thought it burned nicely, but I've seen some people say to let it dry 3 years. I have some 3 years seasoned HL in my stacks for this year, so I'll see if that extra 12 months changes how it burns. It is kind of a "low flame" wood, compared to others, like elm that put out a lot of flame.

 

I don't...it is decent firewood though.

Nope...disagree...I think BL makes more heat and the FHC charts actually have it about right.

Yes...agreed...and exactly why I think that it doesn't make the heat of BL...many stoves don't heat well with a pile of hot coals...that, and it takes more air to make the stuff burn, so that's more heat up the stack. BL just plain burns hotter.
I have a little HL left in the stacks from some trees that I took down at work a few years back...once its gone I won't miss it...stuff is messy too, every wood boring critter in NEO wants to eat/live in it...I never seen such piles of frass! (some of the HL actually rotted in the stacks from the soaking wet frass laying on it)

 

Does anyone ever come across Honey Locust in the wild? The only place I see it near me is intentionally planted as shade trees along city streets or the occasional yard tree.

 

Never have in CT. As you say yard/street trees are the only ive seen.

 

I believe many of them are seedless...or at least the thornless ones are.

 

I have several of the thorny devils on my place. Wild ones are common here in Kentucky.

 

My cord of HL (pic taken today). Stack is 5 x 10' double row. Accumulated since Memorial day. Mostly from two yard trees. Planned for 2022-23 usage.

 

That's exactly what all the wood boring/chewing/eating bugs are thinking right now too!

 

They will definitely lighten the load for him!

 

Yup, and I won't touch those thorny devils. Had one of the thorns go right through the sole of my boot a long time ago, and I have not tried for any more of the wild variety since...

 

The first batch from late May showed no signs of borers and went through the Summer as splits. The stack was moved last month. Is it like what they do to hickory?

 

What happens to your Hickory?

 

Around here, I see borer evidence in hickory, but they don't touch the honey locust. I just moved a bunch of split HL I had on the ground, at the bottom of a pile of ash rounds, and aside from being damp, there was no rot on the HL. I do think that BL is more rot resistant though.

I have been using a couple of HL wedges from rounds as wheel chocks for my ski boat trailer, no rot on them in the 3 or 4 years sitting on the ground.