Locust- Honey or black?

[D8Chumley]

Started a job last week pretty close to my house. Noticed some trees leaning in a tree save area on part of the job. Upon closer inspection, lots of locust blow downs/ dead standing. I took advantage of the access to this area before we remove the dirt and I won’t have access mid next week. So here’s a few pics, how do I know if it’s honey or black? Most, the bark was falling off it. One that snapped halfway up had a few small sucker branches and there were thorns on those, thinking Honey in that case.
?

 

[GadDummit]

Sounds like black. Honey has way more thorns. Lots of people like it for burning. It's a horrible tree though. blows down in every storm, rots standing straight up, and gets punky seemingly overnight. I hate it. Thanks to ice storms I've got about a cord of it seasoning right now.

 

[D8Chumley]

Sounds like black. Honey has way more thorns. Lots of people like it for burning. It's a horrible tree though. blows down in every storm, rots standing straight up, and gets punky seemingly overnight. I hate it. Thanks to ice storms I've got about a cord of it seasoning right now.

I have about 2 cord that’s on it’s third year seasoning so I’ll be burning some of that when it gets a-hole cold out. Locust is super rot resistant, that’s why farmers/ranchers used to use them for fence posts. None of what I’m going to burn this year is punky at all. All I know is I burned a few sticks last year and it burned hot so I grab what I can when it’s available

 

[JimBear]

Looks like Black Locust to me

 

[GadDummit]

I have about 2 cord that’s on it’s third year seasoning so I’ll be burning some of that when it gets a-hole cold out. Locust is super rot resistant, that’s why farmers/ranchers used to use them for fence posts. None of what I’m going to burn this year is punky at all. All I know is I burned a few sticks last year and it burned hot so I grab what I can when it’s available

Maybe Honey locust is. My experience is with black. Hate those trees.

 

[JimBear]

Maybe Honey locust is. My experience is with black. Hate those trees.

Black Locust was used around here for posts if Osage was not available. Generally Black Locust is pretty rot resistant but that may vary on the climate.

 

[CincyBurner]

It's black locust. Its bark is blocky & ridged. Green wood will have have a characteristic odor of peas/ beans (it's in the bean family).
Second + fourth pic have borer holes characteristic of black locust borer, which carries the Fomes fungal inoculum throughout heartwood causing decay.
Honeylocust bark is platey.
Black locust splits easy. Both great burning wood.

 

[D8Chumley]

@CincyBurner thanks, I figured it was black but haven’t seen honey. The thorny suckers made me wonder. I’ve only gotten a few cords so I know the bark to be locust, just didn’t know which. I split anything bigger than 3-4” with the new ISO-Core Fiskars and it split a lot easier than I expected. I like that thing. Gets a fat guy some exercise! Appreciate the responses, fellas!

 

[Simonkenton]

We have, or had, a lot of that up here in the NC mountains. A blight came through 20 years ago and killed them all. Great firewood I burned some last night.
But I am about to run out and then it will all be gone.

It is interesting, there are stumps where I cut down a healthy locust 24 years ago, and a 30 foot sprout locust tree is growing from the stump.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

The first photo (bark) looks like black locust.

 

[NickW]

The honey locust I've seen is more yellow/orange inside...

 

[Stelcom66]

I was given a few rounds of the same - was identified on this forum as Black Locust. The bark is quite thick and stringy. Bark that separated is in the rack seasoning with the cut pieces.

I would have guessed honey based on the bark color. Maybe it's called black due to some black visible when split.

 

[Lakeside]

100% Black Locust. I burn it exclusively.

 

[Stelcom66]

I've yet to experience how it burns, what I have needs to season. I've heard it's one of the better woods for the stove.

 

[MoDoug]

We have what I have always thought was Black Locust, but after reading this and looking up Black vs. Honey Locust, it turns out we have Honey Locust. Last year I let a neighbor cut one down because it overhanged his property and caused him a couple flat tires from the thorns. The wood is an orangeish color inside. These pictures are another one on our lot, it has impressive thorns.

 

[CincyBurner]

MoDoug, great pics of honeylocust bark (showing platey bark) and with thorns (makes for real easy ID). Nasty.
Thankfully most of honeylocust used in landscaped areas are selected 'inermis' (unarmed/ thornless) varieties of honeylocust.
Yes, honeylocust wood has a characteristic salmon - orangish heartwood, a good distinguishing characteristic.

 

[Stelcom66]

Nasty is right! Was wondering how a tree would be related to flat tires, now I see.

 

[Sawset]

We have what I have always thought was Black Locust, but after reading this and looking up Black vs. Honey Locust, it turns out we have Honey Locust. Last year I let a neighbor cut one down because it overhanged his property and caused him a couple flat tires from the thorns. The wood is an orangeish color inside. These pictures are another one on our lot, it has impressive thorns.

The current thought is honey locust thorns are a remnant from previous times.

The Trees That Miss The Mammoths - American Forests

Trees that once depended on animals like the wooly mammoth for survival have managed to adapt and survive in the modern world.

www.americanforests.org

 

[blades]

seeds planted or allowed to germinate from a landscape ( thornless) variety will sometimes revert to the true form as the op's pictures show.

 

[Woody5506]

That's definitely black locust. It has that nice looking yellow ish heart wood. I also think it's far more preferable than honey locust. Both pack BTU's but I do believe black locust is naturally lower in moisture, and may not require the 3+ years of seasoning that honey locust does. I've heard some say you can burn it green although I reject that. But it does kind of imply it's "lower than most green wood" moisture content.

I have a big honey locust in my yard and I'm quite thankful it's of the thornless variety. If those thorns are as tough as the wood, they are probably deadly.

 

[andym]

I have been told that honey locust thorns can be burned off of the trunk to make them a little easier to cut down. I understand a propane torch works best. It takes a bit to get the first cluster to burn, but once it gets going it'll race up the entire trunk. I've heard it's pretty neat to watch. So far have not been fortunate enough to add any locust to my wood pile...

 

[MoDoug]

The current thought is honey locust thorns are a remnant from previous times.

The Trees That Miss The Mammoths - American Forests

Trees that once depended on animals like the wooly mammoth for survival have managed to adapt and survive in the modern world.

www.americanforests.org

Interesting read. This planet amazes me how everything intertwines with each other.

 

[D8Chumley]

Just for shizz and giggles I busted out the MM for the few rounds I grabbed today and split when I got home 23% was a bigger round maybe 9-10” the other maybe 7-8”

 

[NickW]

Definitely a good scrounge!

 

[heavy hammer]

Black locust. Probably about the best stuff you can get ahold of for firewood. I cut and burn a lot of it. Nice score, those cold days you will be happy you have it.