locust and I am confused

[tumm21]

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.

 

[Woody Stover]

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.

 

[paul bunion]

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.

 

[StihlHead]

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.

 

[blades]

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.

 

[ScotO]

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.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

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

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Honey locust...

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

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...

 

[mywaynow]

looks like mulberry to me

 

[tumm21]

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 .

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

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

 

[ScotO]

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.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

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.

 

[Paulywalnut]

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

 

[oldspark]

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

 

[Applesister]

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.

 

[ScotO]

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....

 

[barnuba]

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.

 

[blujacket]

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.

 

[Applesister]

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.

 

[Applesister]

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.

 

[chvymn99]

Love the smell of freshly split Honey Locust.

 

[Woody Stover]

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....

 

[ScotO]

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!