Springtime Locust Festival

[Simonkenton]

I have a half mile long driveway and there are some dead standing locusts near by.
One of these keeled over last week and I had to whack it, so I could use the drive way.



When I whacked this tree, I was surprised to see there was no rot. I had given up on cutting my locust because the last truck load of locust wood I got, it was half rotten.
This stick is about 10 inch diameter. The big vines are poison ivy. When fresh cut these vines were just dripping poison ivy juice. My place is just crawling with huge poison ivy vines. Fortunately, I am not allergic to poison ivy.

I decided to cut this tree up for firewood today. To my surprise, there was no rot, all the way to the roots. At the base this tree is 12 to 14 inches.


There was another leaning dead locust near by so I cut it down too. About 50 feet tall but skinny only 6 inch diameter. To my astonishment, zero rot on this second tree.
Still I got a decent little truck load of locust today. Moisture content 19 percent.

I have two more big leaning dead locust near the driveway, ready to fall over and block the road.
I want to go get them tomorrow. First I have to stack this stuff, will do that tomorrow gotta split the big one. Not sure if I have room in my wood piles for any more after I stack this truck load.

 

[HisTreeNut]

Hey...
Nice score there But locust is really finicky wood...heard it's awful to burn. I will stop by your place and get rid of it for you...


Sent from my VS835 using Tapatalk

 

[Woody Stover]

When I whacked this tree, I was surprised to see there was no rot. I had given up on cutting my locust because the last truck load of locust wood I got, it was half rotten. I decided to cut this tree up for firewood today. To my surprise, there was no rot, all the way to the roots. At the base this tree is 12 to 14 inches. There was another leaning dead locust near by so I cut it down too. About 50 feet tall but skinny only 6 inch diameter. To my astonishment, zero rot on this second tree.
The big vines are poison ivy. When fresh cut these vines were just dripping poison ivy juice. My place is just crawling with huge poison ivy vines. Fortunately, I am not allergic to poison ivy.

BL is extremely rot-resistant wood. I have a stack of rounds that's been sitting uncovered for several years, still no sign of rot. I've found them lying on the ground in a Locust grove, no bark left on them, and the wood is perfect.
But sometimes I'll be cutting one, and get to a section where the center is pithy. I keep cutting, and the center will usually get solid again before long. There is something that attacks them and causes that center-rot sometimes, but it doesn't happen from sitting in the rain when the tree is dead.
We have about as much Poison Ivy as you do, and vines that big. I'm talking chest-high in a few areas, depending on how much sun it gets. I'm allergic to it but I usually don't get it too bad if I'm careful. I imagine that someone who is super-sensitive would have to be much more careful...

 

[Bushels20]

Whew, I get close to poison ivy and I’m screwed for a couple weeks. It inevitably happens a couple times a year. I use bleach and the scouring side of a sponge. Burns it’s right off. My wife thinks I’m nuts...old hillbilly trick I guess.

 

[Simonkenton]

When I was five years old, I was out in the woods with my little neighbor buddy, Michael.
And we came upon some poison ivy, big healthy plant. And I said to Michael, "The adults make
such a big thing about poison ivy, I don't think it is so bad."
And I picked a big four inch long poison ivy leaf.
And I said "Michael, lets eat a leaf I bet we will be OK."

So we each ate a leaf. Two days later Michael had a world class case of poison ivy, had it on his head, his toes, had it covering both eyelids.
And I didn't catch it.

So, either I was born immune, or else, at age 5 years I invented a vaccination. By all rights I should have received the Nobel Prize at age 5, dammit!