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Locust Trees for Firewood
Locust Trees for Firewood. Black locust trees have very coarse bark with hard stringy wood, according to the Donnan website. Although black locust wood is difficult to split, it is considered good firewood as a hardwood. Black locust wood ranks second only to oak in heat value.
Black locust trees have very coarse bark with hard stringy wood, according to the Donnan website. Although black locust wood is difficult to split, it is considered good firewood as a hardwood. Black locust wood ranks second only to oak in heat value.
Characteristics
In measures of cord value, black locust wood ranks toward the top with the heaviest per cubic foot and the highest British Thermal Units (BTU), according to the Garden Grapevine website. A cord of wood consists of a stack measuring 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long.
Black locust wood remains solid much longer than other wood, as rot and insects have little effect on it. Beavers and woodpeckers avoid the black locust due to the hard-to-penetrate cellulose characteristic. A characteristic of the black locust tree and other locust trees in general is the spark aspect when burning as firewood. As a precaution, a tight fitting fireplace screen is recommended.
Woodlot for Firewood
Established forestry lands generate wood for firewood on a regular basis just by cleaning up dead wood, according to the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Selecting wood for firewood cutting involves eliminating the high saw timber, that is wood intended for uses other than firewood, such as walnut, hickory, red oak, ash, hard maples and pine. Locust trees fall under the lower saw timber value, making them ideal for cutting as firewood.
Black locust trees make a good choice for firewood plantations. Sprouts form from the stump after a harvest and generally grow faster because of the root system already established. Classified as a leguminous tree, the black locust fixes its own nitrogen, thus improving the soil.
Wood Burning Stoves
Black locust trees are valued as firewood for wood burning stoves due to the same characteristics that make it good for structural timber and fence posts, according to the Tree Plantation website. It burns slowly, generating little smoke or visible flame. Resilience in a number of different soils and rapid growth especially from a stump, make the black locust ideal as a sustainable resource.
