Two years is doable for BL. I am finding that 3 years is much better. Best to throw it on a good bed of coals though. I split pretty small and that also helps the drying and the start up. BL makes lots of heat but it can be a PIA to work with.
Really ... ? (3) years to season Locust
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Phoenix Hatchling
Minister of Fire
![[Hearth.com] Really ... ? (3) years to season Locust](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/125/125588-dc7db9f144530340df2182147d468d29.jpg?hash=XYExZXd0SW "[Hearth.com] Really ... ? (3) years to season Locust")
I have heard that fence post made from locust have been known to sprout again. I received locust wood from trees that were down for 25 years and they still look fresh as the day they fell. I actually need to give it another year to season, as it is just not quite there yet.
Bret Chase
Minister of Fire
Bret Chase
Minister of Fire
"They" say... a locust post will last a year and a half shy of a stone wall.......
I've never heard of a post resprouting...
Phoenix Hatchling
Minister of Fire
Crazy stuff...and then you toss it under a black light and WHOA! Holy luminescence Batman!
There are always a wide mix of opinions on BL here. For my part, the BL I cut and split was useless after one year in full sun/wind, passable at two years, and awesome at 3 years.
A lot has to do with how finicky your stove is, how good your draft is, etc. BL needs much more air to burn well than any other wood I've seen. Big splits of red oak comes close.
If you're stuck, make sure you make your splits thin.
A lot has to do with how finicky your stove is, how good your draft is, etc. BL needs much more air to burn well than any other wood I've seen. Big splits of red oak comes close.
If you're stuck, make sure you make your splits thin.
Imo, its because you look like your triple stacked. The stuff on the inside will never be as dry as the stuff on the outside. All hardwoods take longer double or triple stacked.
Phoenix Hatchling
Minister of Fire
I only took delivery of the stuff a couple months ago. Prior to that it's been down for twenty five years. Burns now, just not ideally. The short lengths and small splits will continue quite quickly, but I agree single stack would be ideal. Space wise, not ideal and not in any rush as I have other assorted wood, some of which has been single stack/sun/wind.
Just went thru the research again on this tree and it is most assuredly Black Locust.
Burned some more small limbs (seasoned 8-months) last night on a HOT bed of coals and they burned real nice and hot.... just need a lot of primary air.
And yes the outside smoke DOES really stink - whew! But worth it for the heat..... can't wait to get into some of the big seasoned splits......
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
Wow, so this really interesting (to me anyway
). After your post I decided to look into things a little more. Apparently Long Island has a variety of Black Locust called "Shipmast" which grows very straight as mine do and is a poor seed producer.Dept of Agriculture publication, this "variety is a poor seed producer and propagates almost entirely by vegetative means."
(broken link removed)
The publication describes the locust (Robinia pseudoacacia var. rectissima Raber) which fits those on my property to a tee. I have never see a single seed pod from these trees and had no idea other Black Locusts did. If they do produce one it must be very small and under developed. Constant source of new info at Hearth.
Wow, so this really interesting (to me anyway
Dept of Agriculture publication, this "variety is a poor seed producer and propagates almost entirely by vegetative means."
(broken link removed)
The publication describes the locust (Robinia pseudoacacia var. rectissima Raber) which fits those on my property to a tee. I have never see a single seed pod from these trees and had no idea other Black Locusts did. If they do produce one it must be very small and under developed. Constant source of new info at Hearth.
Oh Yeah - check WikiPedia and it will tell you the mixed blessings of Locust - poisonous seeds / fragrant flowers / nearly impossible to kill / good for the soil / nasty thorns.....
Wow, so this really interesting (to me anyway
Dept of Agriculture publication, this "variety is a poor seed producer and propagates almost entirely by vegetative means."
(broken link removed)
The publication describes the locust (Robinia pseudoacacia var. rectissima Raber) which fits those on my property to a tee. I have never see a single seed pod from these trees and had no idea other Black Locusts did. If they do produce one it must be very small and under developed. Constant source of new info at Hearth.
Not so surprised. Some people have trouble seasoning it also. Some don't.
I cut a lot of Black Locust this summer and used them as posts for my new vineyard and electric deer fence that surrounds it. The beauty of BL is that in a bush, it grows straight up with few limbs. In the open, it's just a different tree and a PITA to cut with all the branches and thorns. My Kubota tires do not like the thorns either.
Have to agree that if split fairly small and dried well, I can easily burn after one year. If I want to use wood faster, I just split it a lot smaller and you have a lot more wood exposed to dry. If I was splitting the size in the photos, i would need a lot longer.
Have to agree that if split fairly small and dried well, I can easily burn after one year. If I want to use wood faster, I just split it a lot smaller and you have a lot more wood exposed to dry. If I was splitting the size in the photos, i would need a lot longer.
In areas near us, BL is classed as a weed tree because it takes over the whole forest if allowed to.
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
Didn't see anything about Shipmast var. in the wiki article but they did mention the quality in general of BL as a firewood. Funny, it talked about how it's hard starting and better in a hot stove or on an established coal bed (sounds familiar) but then they had to throw it "it can be burned wet". Well mine can't. The BL I have is like starting a coal fire and wet is out of the question.
The thorns on the locust by me are not as prominent as they seem to be for others. New branches have a few thorns 1/4-3/8" mostly. You have to watch out for them but a minor nuisance.
You may have hit it right on the head. As far as I'm concerned there is simply no way to burn 1 yr seasoned locust. Others disagree and the difference in the var. may be the reason.
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