Ok, what is the low down on lacust....burn fast but really hot?? I have 1.5 cord ready to burn in the early fall. got it mixed with some hard maple..figure I will burn it first until the real cold sets in
Locust
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tw40x81
Member
According to this you might want to save it for the dead of winter, assuming that it's Black Locust.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/6066/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/6066/
babalu87
New Member
Adirondackwoodburner said:
Black Locust = yellowish heartwood
Where do you live?
Its either Honey Locust or Black Locust , Honey is RARE East of central Pennsylvania.
Either way it is a good burning hardwood
Todd
Minister of Fire
I also have some Black Locust I'm waiting to try out. It has thick groovy bark and a yellowish green heartwood. It was standing dead so it wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be, but hard as a rock and tough on the chains. Some people say it's as close to burning coal as you can get. I'm looking forward to it.
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I live in the Adirondak Mountians of NYS. We ahve alot of this kind of trees around water bodies etc. Its a really tall tre, thick undulating bark..When its dry like mine is right now, it isnt very heavy, comparabley not as heavy as a comparable sized piece of maple. The bark tends to fall off too once its dry I would say tha tthe bark can be 1" thick plus at times
backpack09
Minister of Fire
ok, another question for you guys that have burned this stuff..How long does it take to get dry typically? I have heard that its like red oak and takes awhile? I have had it split/stacked since April
berlin
New Member
what and where you describe makes me 100% certain, it's black locust, no question.
btw, honey locust has the groups of giant thorns, black locust only has thorns at the base of the leaves and they're much smaller.
btw, honey locust has the groups of giant thorns, black locust only has thorns at the base of the leaves and they're much smaller.
Nofossil
Moderator Emeritus
I've burned lots of Black Locust here in Vermont. Heavy, can be tough to split, great heat value. I'd rate it similar to oak and hard maple. It's also amazing stuff in terms of rot resistance. We had several trees that were taken down during the ice storm of 1998. They've been lying on the ground since. The bark is starting to slough off, but there is NO rot - the wood is as solid as you could ask. Seems to take a long time to dry, especially in unsplit form.
I'm going to run the last few trunk sections through the sawmill to make 2x4s for my new tractor-portable wood cribs.
I'm going to run the last few trunk sections through the sawmill to make 2x4s for my new tractor-portable wood cribs.
A bit of a discussion on Locust in the latter posts of this thread.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/5459/#59050
Good wood to have - decent BTU, good coals, good smell. Try some and see what you think, but it is good wood to burn when the real cold sets in. I haven't noticed it taking any longer to season than any other wood. Due to space limitations, I only have wood about a year in advance - sometimes a little less, but most everything is good to go in that timeframe.
Corey
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/5459/#59050
Good wood to have - decent BTU, good coals, good smell. Try some and see what you think, but it is good wood to burn when the real cold sets in. I haven't noticed it taking any longer to season than any other wood. Due to space limitations, I only have wood about a year in advance - sometimes a little less, but most everything is good to go in that timeframe.
Corey
Hmm.well, I may need to rethink my burning cycle here....have 4+ cord stacked on the screened in patio jsut outside my kitchen door..
jpl1nh
Minister of Fire
Yes you probably should rethink the burning schedule. Your a lucky man! Black locust is one of the very highest rated BTU firewoods of the northeast with only hickory and hop hornbeam having higher ratings. It has a slightly hihger BTU rating than such great firewoods as red oak, white oak, apple, and sugar maple if that give you an idea. Not a great kindling wood but a superb wood for those long overnight burns. Don't let the seemingly light weight fool you and watch out for splinters!Adirondackwoodburner said:
ecfinn
New Member
Philafire and myself got quite a bit of locust this summer from a friend of his that had two LARGE locust trees taken down. Of course we started collecting it on the hottest day of the year. ;-) It is HEAVY stuff. Even the 18" splits are heavier than the hard maple I've got. Its on par or heavier than ash IMO. We had rounds that were 36+ inches in diameter. Good thing we could roll them onto my trailer or there is no way we could've moved them. I'm going to end up with about 1 cord of it. This is a timely topic as I just split most of mine this weekend. Why is it I picked the only 80+ degree weekend in October to do it? I'm not planning to burn mine until next winter as I've already got 5+ cords cut/split/stacked and ready to burn. I'm hoping it'll be dry by then. Some of the larger rounds I just split were still very wet even though they were cut in the spring I think.
Eric
Eric
budman
Minister of Fire
This is all i get from my wood guy (black locust) by log length.Last load was 11/06 6 cordsAdirondackwoodburner said:
and had one cord left over from 11/05 and i an now waiting for next years load of 6 cord.
And than the work begins all over again. :ahhh:
DiscoInferno
Minister of Fire
It's good wood, but it's not magic. If it truly weighs less than some other wood of the same size and moisture content, then it will provide less heat. Maybe you have some local hybrid that isn't so dense, or maybe it's just dryer than your other wood.
budman
Minister of Fire
RonB
Feeling the Heat
Disco has the right frame of reference. It's all about density/weight that make for good long burns. I burn some black locust and it is heavy when split and heavy as compared to other hard woods when dried. I split mine in April and it's good to go that winter. The two tone round that are pictured are not the same as my black locust. As another poster said it lasts forever on the ground or as fence posts or as a left over stump. Has a natural chemical that makes it bug and rot resistant. And yes, how it burns!! Not hot and quick as you were told. Hot and long.
tw40x81 said:
Actually, the highest heating value wood in the world I think is hedge apple (also called Osage Orange) and one of the largest such trees is in Virginia....hedge apple has a heating value of about 30.1 M BTU/cord vs about 29.3 for Black Locust. So, they're about the same heating value but technically, the Wickapedia article the above was taken from is wrong (it does grow, but not much, in some places in the East and certainly it grows here in Ohio and it is the highest heating value wood in the world but Locust produces less smoke and starts easier)......
I am still not sold that is is Black Locust. If anything it is Honey Locust. And I am also not sold that it will have a long burn time. But, its supposed to in the 30's at night and not get out of the 50's during the day this weekend..I just might have to light my stove for the first time! I will give a report on Monday of the weekends burning. Of course, it isnt the same as a zero degree night but should be interesting
jpl1nh
Minister of Fire
While it is possible that it is honey locust, its far more likely to be black locust. Black locust is so common it is considered an invasive plant in many areas. In Massachusettes, its illegal to plant it due to its invasive nature. Regardless, I think you'll find that its really nice fire wood.
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