# locust and I am confused



## tumm21 (Jul 26, 2013)

I have a nice load of locust, I dont think it is black locust.  Pretty sure its honey locust.  I split and stacked it back in November.  I thought this stuff had a low moisture content to begin with.  I tried burning some in my fire pit and it just does not burn.  No sizzling or anything so thats good but will this stuff be ready for this winter?  I know they say its hard for this wood to take off but what the heck.


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## Woody Stover (Jul 26, 2013)

Just a guess, but maybe being in the stove concentrates the heat more to get it going. That said, I've read here that you need to mix some other wood in with it because it _is_ hard to light by itself.


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## paul bunion (Jul 26, 2013)

Get a fire going with something else and toss a few pieces on and see what happens  It takes a little persuasion to get going but it burns forever.


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## StihlHead (Jul 27, 2013)

Locust is notorious for being hard to start a fire with, even when well seasoned. Need to load it into an already burning fire. It burns long and hot.


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## blades (Jul 27, 2013)

Locust is very dense, even when banged together and sounds like a baseball bat it is mostly too damp in the middle for good burning. Recently got a cord of black, dead standing, bark falling off, even the upper branches in the 3-4" area are still too moist internally. So it all goes in the stack for 2 years from now.


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## ScotO (Jul 27, 2013)

Locust even acts "funny" in the stove.  As the others have mentioned already, it is very dense and burns at a different rate than most other woods.  It's not the most campfire-friendly wood, as it is very hard to get trucking.  It DOES do great, however, in the stove.  You'll be fine burning locust 1-1/2-2 years C/S/S, and when you do, it'll amaze you in the stove.  Nice, blue flames........unbelievable coal bed.......and kick-ass heat.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 27, 2013)

This is the honey locust that I scored on Mothersday on my way home from work, does it look like this? It was salmon in color when split. I tested a skinny skinny split the other day, I was amazed that it was still 26%..... It takes time to dry


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 27, 2013)

Honey locust...


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 27, 2013)

Oops, not the split, pic was too small when I was picking it out, just the pile is honey locust....having some technical difficulty here at work...


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## mywaynow (Jul 27, 2013)

looks like mulberry to me


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## tumm21 (Jul 27, 2013)

i have what is on the first picture but the split on the right by itself.  Same color almost a yellow or light green color .


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 27, 2013)

tumm21 said:


> i have what is on the first picture but the split on the right by itself.  Same color almost a yellow or light green color .


That is black locust, I got that in may, it is now at 17% mc


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## ScotO (Jul 27, 2013)

the salmon colored wood in your pictures is definitely honey locust.  I'm sitting on about 9 cord of it here, that stuff is on the menu for this coming winter....

Good stuff for sure.  Save it for the heart of winter, great overnighter firewood when the temps are really cold outside.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 27, 2013)

Will do thanks, that stuff is gonna take a long time to dry according to that skinny split that I measured, also I don't want to mislead the op, 17% was my maple, the black locust I tested this week was at 19, but I split small and it sits in the sun and wind all day in a loose stack, but I do look forward to burning the honey locust in a year or so to see the different color, I wish I had more of it.


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## Paulywalnut (Jul 28, 2013)

I'll travel much further for BL than most other woods.


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## oldspark (Jul 28, 2013)

Never had a problem getting Black Locust to burn but it is always on a bed of coals same as Oak.


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## Applesister (Jul 29, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> the salmon colored wood in your pictures is definitely honey locust.  I'm sitting on about 9 cord of it here, that stuff is on the menu for this coming winter....
> 
> Good stuff for sure.  Save it for the heart of winter, great overnighter firewood when the temps are really cold outside.


Nine cords? 9 cords is impressive of ANY species.
The range maps dont have Honeylocust listed for my area but it grows along the old Erie canal system. The seed pods are supposed to be attractive to livestock. So Im convinced it grows here because the mules that pulled the barges along the canal pooped out the seeds. Just a hypothetical theory. Cannot imagine how many it would take to make 9 cords.
This is the Honeylocust covered in thorns. 
Saying I have experience burning it is like saying I've tasted porcupine meat.


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## ScotO (Jul 29, 2013)

Applesister said:


> Nine cords? 9 cords is impressive of ANY species.
> The range maps dont have Honeylocust listed for my area but it grows along the old Erie canal system. The seed pods are supposed to be attractive to livestock. So Im convinced it grows here because the mules that pulled the barges along the canal pooped out the seeds. Just a hypothetical theory. Cannot imagine how many it would take to make 9 cords.
> This is the Honeylocust covered in thorns.
> Saying I have experience burning it is like saying I've tasted porcupine meat.


Yep......9 cord. Some of that stuff is on the menu for this winter. The trees I got that wood from had an interesting story. There is an old homestead (dating to the mid 1700's) near me and there are HUGE honey locusts growing along the lane to the farm. One day coming home from work I noticed one snapped off and laying in the field. I stopped and inquired about the tree, long story short the farmer wanted it gone. Well, when I showed up a half hour later with my saws and my splitter, he knew I was serious and asked me if I'd take three more of those trees down for him. I gladly did just that.

These trees had around 200+ annual rings in them, they were HUGE. And the thorns, well they were downright scary. Some of them measured 8-10" long, and they grew in clusters. I buried one in my leg while clearing branches along the log, it was sore for a month!

And it gets better......he's got three more that he wants me to cut down this winter. I worked out a deal where he keeps the branches and tops and burns them, I get the wood from the trees.....

So I'll be getting around 8-9 more cord this winter of that stuff, I'll be sure to post some pics of that stuff when I get around to cutting them....


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## barnuba (Jul 29, 2013)

I burned locust for the first time last season  - 11% MC and I found that it burned better when mixed with a split of a different type of wood.


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## blujacket (Jul 29, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> So I'll be getting around 8-9 more cord this winter of that stuff, I'll be sure to post some pics of that stuff when I get around to cutting them..


 
  Scotty "The Locust Harvester" Overkill 

Thankfully all the Honey Locust I get is the thornless ones.


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## Applesister (Jul 29, 2013)

For the OP, these two locusts dont share the same scientific genus names. The two trees have shared a common name but are not technically related.
They always get mentioned together, but they arent even kissing cousins.


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## Applesister (Jul 29, 2013)

Scotty, I want to see those trees when you get back to that farm. God willing. Great story.
Farmers love to see strapping young men with big chainsaws at their door eager to cut down trees. Lol.


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## chvymn99 (Jul 29, 2013)

Love the smell of freshly split Honey Locust.


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## Woody Stover (Jul 29, 2013)

Applesister said:


> The range maps dont have Honeylocust listed for my area but it grows along the old Erie canal system.


I will start looking here, then. There's a dead one near a neighbor's house that I have to get...may or may not have been planted. The old canal is on the other side of town....


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## ScotO (Jul 29, 2013)

Applesister said:


> Scotty, I want to see those trees when you get back to that farm. God willing. Great story.
> Farmers love to see strapping young men with big chainsaws at their door eager to cut down trees. Lol.


I'll be sure to take pics for you......I was thinking of saving some of the thorn clusters for the story behind them.......they are scary!


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## Locust Post (Jul 29, 2013)

Never had any honey locust but lots of black locust.....my favorite. How is the honey in comparison to black.


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## blujacket (Jul 29, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> I'll be sure to take pics for you......I was thinking of saving some of the thorn clusters for the story behind them.......they are scary!


 

I have only seen web pictures, but they look scary. I have heard from others beside yourself of the lingering soreness from puncture wounds. There's also been talk of birds impaled on trees. .


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## blujacket (Jul 29, 2013)

Locust Post said:


> Never had any honey locust but lots of black locust.....my favorite. How is the honey in comparison to black.


 

Both seem to burn and produce same heat to me. I prefer Black for processing though. Love the Locust.


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## Missouri Frontier (Jul 29, 2013)

Lots of honey locust around these parts. Great burning stuff. Load a couple splits of locust, a couple splits of hedge and the rest red oak and you can run around he house in your underware all night laughing your toasty butt off at your propane slave neighbors! 
And yes the thorns are a MFer!


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 29, 2013)

Locust Post said:


> Never had any honey locust but lots of black locust.....my favorite. How is the honey in comparison to black.


Let me show you a pic or 2....
	

		
			
		

		
	





Like sweet apple said, they are not kissing cousins...


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## Locust Post (Jul 29, 2013)

Probably have about 7 or 8 cords of the black like your bottom picture Ram but I don't think I have ever had honey locust.


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## clemsonfor (Jul 29, 2013)

This is good to hear. I have about 1/4 cord of dead standing locust that I cut n split over a year ago. I actually planned on burning it dead of winter this year but forgot and did not move it into the shed when I put this year. Wood up. I still may pull it out to burn this Jan/Feb??  It was near 15% MC when I split it!!


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Jul 29, 2013)

Locust Post said:


> Probably have about 7 or 8 cords of the black like your bottom picture Ram but I don't think I have ever had honey locust.


Well if you have that much from what I hear, I think you are very good to go, i wish I had more..... In fact, I got a small load yesterday, about 16 pieces 1 cut to 15 in or so, it was bright yellow with alittle green, meaning very fresh? Came in at 40% on the MM it was 18 in wide, my chain was dull and it took some work sawing it. There is five more pieces there, I hope to get tomorrow, this stuff is big and heavy and the parking is not ideal....


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## Woody Stover (Jul 30, 2013)

paul bunion said:


> It takes a little persuasion to get going but it burns forever.





StihlHead said:


> Locust is notorious for being hard to start a fire with, even when well seasoned. Need to load it into an already burning fire


What about Mulberry, does it catch easier? I burned some last year but I always put it in the back/bottom of a load so I never actually watched it light....

Ram 1500, that is some great-looking BL! Textbook bark on that stuff.


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## Jags (Jul 30, 2013)

Scotty Overkill said:


> .....I was thinking of saving some of the thorn clusters for the story behind them.......they are scary!


 
This one is behind my cabin.  Simply scary to look at.  Gotta watch the thorns on those bad boys - notorious for giving infections.  I jammed one deep into an area around my left wrist. Had to get antibiotics for it.

Exhibit A (for one of the meanest trees you will come across - and this is still a small tree - 'bout 12"):


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## Woody Stover (Jul 30, 2013)

Jags said:


> This one is behind my cabin.


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## Jags (Jul 30, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


>


 

Poor tree.  Its just misunderstood.


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## chvymn99 (Jul 30, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


> What about Mulberry, does it catch easier? I burned some last year but I always put it in the back/bottom of a load so I never actually watched it light...


 
Never had a problem with it catching.  Its a great wood, but just a step below them (Locust/Oak/Hedge).  It will throw off fire bugs, which are fun to watch behind the glass.


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## StihlHead (Jul 30, 2013)

Fortunately I have gotten my locust all cut up into fireplace burning size pieces, sans thorns. One load was 2 years seasoned  Thank the Craigslist Gods Many people around here do not know what locust is or how to burn it. Even some pro arborists (where I got mine) had problems burning it. Black locust (_Robinia pseudoacacia_) is commonly grown in the PNW burbs and was brought here by the early settlers. Honey locust (_Gleditsia triacanthos)_ is not common here. According to OSU honey locust succumbs to canker (a fungus) here and this is about the only place in the US that it is not grown (at least on the west side of the Cascades). 

To counter what some have said above, honey and black locust are actually rather closely related species. While they do not share the same plant Genus, they are in the same plant Family (Fabaceae). So that would make them more or less second cousins? Certainly kissing cousins, and far closer than shirt-tail cousins.


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## Flatbedford (Aug 2, 2013)

Those are some nasty thorns Jags. I see a lot of trees like that in the New York City parks. I'll bet they were planted there because of the thorns. If that doesn't keep people from climbing trees what could?


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Aug 2, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


> What about Mulberry, does it catch easier? I burned some last year but I always put it in the back/bottom of a load so I never actually watched it light....
> 
> Ram 1500, that is some great-looking BL! Textbook bark on that stuff.


Thanks, this is the stuff that I pocked up the other day, it was beautiful yellow in color...


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