Black Locust firewood

[John Mc]

How is Black Locust for drying time for firewood use? I've burned some in the past, and it made good firewood, but it had been cut, split and stacked about 3 years prior. So I don;t know what it took to get it dry.

I can get most firewood species down to about +/-15% moisture content in less than a year - Often cut in Spring and it's dry by Fall (cut split and stacked in single rows exposed to the sun and wind). Oak is one exception: If I cut it in the spring, it's generally not ready for burning the next heating season unless I've gotten really lucky with the drying conditions.  Is Black Locust another of those species that take a good while to dry?

[doctorb]

John-

Wish I could give you a more knowledgable answer, as I have burned a lot of black locust.  All of mine was cured at least one full year, and seemed to burn fine without the hissing and popping of wet wood.  But I made no moisture meter readings that I can recall, so I can not accurately answer your question.

[submarinesailor]

I love locust firewood! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D 8)

[Don P]

Got a truck and trailer load Sunday but we have plenty of standing/ leaning dead. Even green, if split, it is going to be ready next year.

[hedgerow]

I have burning a lot of locust the last few years as I cleaned up a area in our pasture that had a lot of locust in it. The time to season it seems to vary a lot as when the trees were cut. The ones I cut late winter to early spring had less sap up in the tree so they seasoned out quick the ones that were cut later in the summer had a lot of sap in them and needed a good year to be dried down after they were split. Locust makes great fire wood close to being hedge. I don't have a meter as I don't sell wood. I just test it in my Garn and if it burns good it ready. I usually burn hedge and it needs little seasoning. I burn around 15 cords a year and probably will get 80 cord out of all the logs I have from that clean up. We probably have a little over half bucked and split.   

[moodnacreek]

Stacked with air circulation and a roof, over the summer is fine. About the only wood better than locust is seasoned hickory. Some people will not accept locust because of the bad smell when you first put it on the fire.

[Pclem]

I've bought wholesale bundles before from another dealer, and one time he gave me a whole semi load of packaged locust. [Was supposed to be maple and oak] This was for the summer camp season. Smelled horrible >:( Not a pleasant sit around a campfire. I understand it's got pretty high btu's for heating though