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Black Locust Lumber and Poles

Black Locust has become one of our main specialty trademarks over the last few years. The wood is historically noted for extreme durability in any outdoor condition.  Shock resistance, hardness, and fastener holding ability are also some of its key characteristics. The wood became notable for its usage during the forming of this country, in times when hard work was no stranger to anybody, and people used what was handy on their own land, or traded and bartered for what others had.
The tree is also known as the acacia, common locust, and the yellow locust. Its scientific name is Robinia Pseudoacacia.  It should not be confused with other locust trees such as the Water Locust and Honey Locust, for neither is rot resistant (but still beautiful for other applications). The bark is a reddish brown and deeply furrowed, and the tree is easily identified with its white flowers. It can grow up to 70 feet tall and sometimes larger on hillsides. It has an odd characteristic of folding its leaflets during nighttime and rainfall.

Commercially, black locust has been on and off the market. It cannot be compared to other commercially harvested woods such as Oaks, Poplar, Ash, Walnut and Cherry, because it tends to grow crooked with many defects. In recent years these defects have worsened, as the locust leaf miner causes premature death of the foliage, the locust borer hollows out the trunk, and red rot has become a wide spread infection in the tree.
The tree is native to south western Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, eastern Kentucky, western Virginia, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northern Alabama, and Georgia. Spots are also seen around the Missouri, and Mississippi, regions.
Today Black Locust is considered an invasive species in many regions. It has been extensively planted for its nitrogen amending capabilities which enriches the soil improving nearby plant life. The problem with the tree is that it makes such a dense shade, and is so capable or regeneration from a cut stump that it simply blocks out our native more valuable species.

It has extensively naturalized across the eastern half of the United States into lower sections of Canada, and as far south as northern Florida. It has also been introduced into parts of Washington and Oregon, for future cultivation of fence posts. Unfortunately, the original native regions where it grew best have become over harvested, and now what’s left is useless as red rot has left the wood barely worth harvesting for even the smallest sawmill operations. Black locust harvesting must be done properly to ensure future regeneration. This is done by returning to the logging site about a year after the harvest when young sapling shoots sprout out of the stump. The largest and best sprout should be kept, and the others pruned at the base. If all sprouts are left, there will eventually be at least one that takes over, but by leaving just one focuses all nutrients into it, and enables a straighter more cylindrical trunk to form properly.

It has been reported in estimation that in 1928 over 9,200,000 board feet of black locust was harvested, in 1940- 4,600,000 board feet, and in1960 just 2,300,000 board feet. Through these years about 70% was utilized for outdoors, and about 30% for furniture.

Black locust has been transplanted to Europe where there are abundant plantations. More regions and countries should consider this incredible wood, for its regenerating capabilities and rot resistance are incomparable to any other commercially available wood in the world.  This would substantially decrease logging for woods that take longer to regenerate, and do not last nearly as long in any application.
The tree should not be planted anywhere around grazing animals. There is a poisonous compound in the bark, which if consumed by livestock can be fatal. Oddly enough, the bark is a fairly major food source for the cottontail rabbit, the bobwhite, and the morning dove.

Black Locust is also a great alternative to pressure treated woods. Pressure treating incorporates chemicals that slow and retard the decaying process.  Chemicals are forced into the wood while submerged in a pressurized solution of Creosote, Pentachlorophenol, Chromated Copper Arsenate, Ammoniacal Copper Arsenate, Arsenic Pentoxide, Chromium Trioxide, Copper Oxide, and Elemental Arsenic. Many of these chemicals are so bad that just a taste of a drop can be lethal.
Once a pressure treated post is installed in the ground, these chemicals do slowly leach into the ground to some degree. Black Locust releases no chemicals and the wood is non-toxic, but we still do not recommend using it for kitchen utensils or wooden bowls for those interested in these popular woodwork commodities.

To place your Black Locust order, or for more information please
call Travis at (908)-217-6105

 

 

 
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