I love your tree talks. I've found the perfect course on tree identification. Thank you. And I have several black locusts in my yard. I really enjoy them for all the reasons you provide.
Ryan does a fantastic job educating us all on the identification of tree.native to North America. Very in-depth descriptions. Thank you, Ryan for you thoroughness and you enthusiasm. You are a great model for the rest of us to emulate.
Black locust is my favorite tree that we find on our property in Armstrong county. Something killed off most of them which is rather unfortunate. My father and grandfather made fence posts out of locust in the 80s and they just recently started failing. It’s the most perfect firewood in my opinion; it splits well (especially into kindling due to its strong grain allowing it to split straight the whole way down without thinning), takes a flame remarkably well, and burns HOT (too hot for summer fires).
I had 4 Black Locust trees in my yard when I lived in NJ. Their blossoms smell amazing, I loved being in my yard smelling them. Their thorns are no joke, they can get pretty big, over an inch.
Thank you so much for this explanation! I grew up with some in my yard in Nova Scotia and never knew what they were. I've also never seen them anywhere else.
This is my first video I have watched on this channel but the title caught my eye. We had several of these on our property in Illinois when I was a kid. I was always impressed with it's intimidating looking thorns. When I moved to NC I no longer found the tree in the wild and assumed it didn't live here. I had told my son about this tree that we had in Illinois whose leaves looked similar to our invasive, and beautiful, Mimosa but had impressive thorns. Last year I found a two of them here growing next to a pond. I don't think I have been more excited to find a tree.
Very Cool! I had no idea about the fluorescence. I tried taking an axe to one of these that was in a problem spot a few years back, and the wood is definitely stout. It felt like trying to cut down a steel beam. I was really surprised when you mentioned that it grows quickly, since most of the fast growers tend to have softer wood. We usually discourage them anywhere a mower might go due to the thorns, but we'll be sure to keep a few around and encourage them elsewhere. Thanks!
WV. Zone 6b. I'm in a suburban area and surrounded by these trees. My neighbors have several on their adjoining property. I have none. But between these seed pods and my maple helicopter seeds, I have a full time job cleaning up and fighting seedlings in my lawn and flower beds. LOL!
Just found your channel a few days ago, and so glad I didn't have to wait too long for the next installment! Over the years you've managed to cover most of the species I've been researching recently and have helped me make some confident decisions about my dad's plot. Thanks for the clear and efficient information! (Oh, and I loved the long 'do but nice haircut!)
And I'm surprised no one has taken advantage of the florescence in a nightclub or bowling alley to work designs or logos into the floor to glow under UV. 🤔
I just stumbled on your channel, solid content, watched several now. As a fellow tree guy (and life long beagle owner) who spends hikes snooping out trees I just wanted to help keep the interest going, thanks man!
Thanks for making this and sharing all this info. Lots of interesting stuff I never knew about the black locust here. Last year I collected black locust seeds from a local park in Pennsylvania and germinated them over the winter. Today about 6 of the seedlings are growing great and i'm hoping they will make interesting bonsai trees in the future!
Species with pinnate leaves usually are not suitable for bonsai. I didn’t know you could bonsai robinia. Thanks for the suggestion: they grow everywhere around here. However I’ll look if it’s possible to make cuttings and/or air layers from mature branches. Not fond of the idea of dealing with the nasty thorns young plants have. 😅 Good luck with your seedlings.👍
Yeah so far my seedlings are growing great, I’ll probably grow them as larger bonsai. If you have luck with cuttings let me know. I’m going to try to propagate some black locust cuttings sometime this summer as well.
Black Locust is fairly common in Southern Ontario, although it is not native. It is considered invasive to native trees. That's interesting about the black light, I'll have to try it out! I really enjoy your videos 😀
here in wisconsin, black locusts are way too aggressive, so we girdle them. although they do have benefits, the oak savannas and prairies that they invade wouldn’t exist if we didn’t take them out.
i think you are correct. Black locusts form colonies in pastures on mountains in Appalachia, if you don't mow. i used to notice bird flocks in these pretty groved. But years later there was a little forest of other species. Maybe tbey can be useful to generate a new forest. I cut down groves of locust trees twice in the past 35 yesrs.
R. pseudoacacia is also an excellent fuel wood. The BTU content as almost as high as white oak. The down side is that it's very difficult to split, and can stall lower-powered splitters.
@@pansepot1490 would you accept "it depends"? I split mine almost immediately after felling. So it is still very wet. Pretty easy then. I haven't tried to split it after it has seasoned.
@@pansepot1490 Are you referring to @bmilla35 's comment, saying the wood "splits well?" I can see the confusion, but we were talking about different properties of the logs. bmilla was talking about how the grain runs consistently thru the length of the logs, which does make them split "well," meaning it can be split down to quite small sizes without the individual pieces cracking or crushing (i.e., great for kindling). Softer woods often start to break off to the side, or crush, if you try to get smaller pieces. And, the pieces of the locust are strong (which makes them split well), so you need a beefy splitter to work on larger logs. Hope that makes sense - kinda hard to write out clearly, what I could show you in a few seconds.
@@jameskniskern2261 we found that the wood if left to dry before splitting, needed then to be “ thoroughly “ dry, after which it splits fairly easily again. Great post wood and fuel when dry.
Black Locust is HIGHLY reactive to UV light, turning from buff to Day-Glow Yellow under a blacklight. Just another reason to appreciate our amazing local species.
My wife hated them because they spread from the roots, creating thickets. I love them for their value as firewood. Because the wood is so hard they dull chainsaw chains fairly quickly. I have an Oregon professional sharpener, so not a problem for me.
Black locust was extremely popular for construction in the Appalachian region. Many southern barns are still standing because they were framed with black locust timber.
person good with a scroll saw could inlay black locust figures, letters etc. onto black walnut board and front light it with black light LED. Looks nice. Have been turning black locust bowls. Good for cold food, not hot as some say wood is toxic.
Black locust grow very straight, are insects resistant and break down very slowly. So they are used for sill plates on buildings for their amazing longevity.
Ive cut alot of Black Locust for fire wood over the last year and am keeping a few choice pieces to make mallets. Haven't decided what I'll use for handles probably hickory.
I have a large on in my backyard and boy do the sprouts drive me crazy. Love the tree but the thorny sprouts are EVERYWHERE and impossible to get rid of.
These trees do live a long time. Perhaps not in your part of the country. We just had the city remove 4 black locust down our street that were planted in 1906! So IDK how it’s short lived. They were only cut down because they had been improperly pruned to accommodate power lines.
This tree out competes native woody species and increases the growth of noxious invasive herbaceous plants. It can quickly invade any open space and wreak havok on local ecosystems outside of its native range.
I make axe handles out of black locust. Besides burning really hot as firewood, it’s important to mention that almost every part of the black locust is toxic.
More info: While both plants are toxic, black locust primarily affects those who ingest parts of the plant, whereas poison ivy affects through skin contact So I'm thinking simply don't eat any part of the tree, or breathe the dust. I have cut quite a lot of black locust with a chainsaw in the course of a single day and never had any problemsl.
@ agreed - I’d never had any problem with it either - but this past summer I used some fresh cut black locust for 3 different axe handles. About half way through the second one- and I hand sanded and cut these handles, so I was extremely hands on- I seamed to suddenly be getting splinters on my fingers. Further examination, it turned out there were NO splinters, just wounds that looked, felt, and acted like them. I didn’t go to the Dr.’s, but I have a friend who’s a Dr and he said I might have given myself a touch of ‘black locust poisoning’. I started using gloves while working with it from then on and everything went back to normal. Until then, I didn’t even know it was toxic at all.
@ClubMBaD a roofer I know worked with Western Red Cedar shingles for many years without any problem, and then he started to have allergic symptoms. Since the onset of symptoms, he can't work with it anymore. Now he just does copper roofs. I've read about how allergies to wood species can build up over time, even though there are no symptoms, and then quickly turn into a problem. I'm guessing that allergies to many species work this way.
@ could very well be. This was the first time I’d worked so closely with it-sanding especially. The effects I got from it, like mentioned, resembled splinter wounds… similar to using bleach without any kind of protection. But the handles turned out great
Is it woodpecker resistant? I have an elm covered in woodpecker pin holes. I’m leaving it as long as it keeps going. But, this seems like the kind of tree that could be pecked from top to bottom, or the woodpeckers might not like it.
I had these or another variety at the backend of my yard in Northern Idaho and I absolutely hate them. They drop crap all year long and those thorns are nasty, big, thick and about an inch long. Do yourself a favor and never plant it
I love your tree talks. I've found the perfect course on tree identification. Thank you. And I have several black locusts in my yard. I really enjoy them for all the reasons you provide.
Ryan does a fantastic job educating us all on the identification of tree.native to North America. Very in-depth descriptions. Thank you, Ryan for you thoroughness and you enthusiasm. You are a great model for the rest of us to emulate.
Black locust is my favorite tree that we find on our property in Armstrong county. Something killed off most of them which is rather unfortunate.
My father and grandfather made fence posts out of locust in the 80s and they just recently started failing. It’s the most perfect firewood in my opinion; it splits well (especially into kindling due to its strong grain allowing it to split straight the whole way down without thinning), takes a flame remarkably well, and burns HOT (too hot for summer fires).
Amen. Our experience is exactly the same. Also like to pick the flowers and deep fry them. So yummy.
It’s amazing how long the posts can last and I’ve talked to some old timers that had some of their posts sprout up and grow a tree.
I had 4 Black Locust trees in my yard when I lived in NJ. Their blossoms smell amazing, I loved being in my yard smelling them. Their thorns are no joke, they can get pretty big, over an inch.
Thank you so much for this explanation! I grew up with some in my yard in Nova Scotia and never knew what they were. I've also never seen them anywhere else.
I’m in central Louisiana and they do grow in very moist even wet areas! Great for fence posts and like you said, the blooms are amazingly heady!!
these videos are great, please keep them coming :)
This is my first video I have watched on this channel but the title caught my eye. We had several of these on our property in Illinois when I was a kid. I was always impressed with it's intimidating looking thorns. When I moved to NC I no longer found the tree in the wild and assumed it didn't live here. I had told my son about this tree that we had in Illinois whose leaves looked similar to our invasive, and beautiful, Mimosa but had impressive thorns. Last year I found a two of them here growing next to a pond. I don't think I have been more excited to find a tree.
Very Cool! I had no idea about the fluorescence. I tried taking an axe to one of these that was in a problem spot a few years back, and the wood is definitely stout. It felt like trying to cut down a steel beam. I was really surprised when you mentioned that it grows quickly, since most of the fast growers tend to have softer wood. We usually discourage them anywhere a mower might go due to the thorns, but we'll be sure to keep a few around and encourage them elsewhere. Thanks!
Wonderful for beautiful retaining walls!
WV. Zone 6b. I'm in a suburban area and surrounded by these trees. My neighbors have several on their adjoining property. I have none. But between these seed pods and my maple helicopter seeds, I have a full time job cleaning up and fighting seedlings in my lawn and flower beds. LOL!
I love the black locusts at my parents house. Been trying to get some established at my house for a while, such a nice tree.
very good for wood turning
One of my favorite channels.
Just found your channel a few days ago, and so glad I didn't have to wait too long for the next installment! Over the years you've managed to cover most of the species I've been researching recently and have helped me make some confident decisions about my dad's plot. Thanks for the clear and efficient information!
(Oh, and I loved the long 'do but nice haircut!)
And I'm surprised no one has taken advantage of the florescence in a nightclub or bowling alley to work designs or logos into the floor to glow under UV. 🤔
Cool. I was just admiring the abundance of these in Cape Cod this past week.
I just stumbled on your channel, solid content, watched several now. As a fellow tree guy (and life long beagle owner) who spends hikes snooping out trees I just wanted to help keep the interest going, thanks man!
I am familiar with the honey locust, tasty flowers, but known very little of the Black Locust tree. Thanks dude.
It's called "locust", but it is in a different family than black locust. Not very similar
Thanks for making this and sharing all this info. Lots of interesting stuff I never knew about the black locust here. Last year I collected black locust seeds from a local park in Pennsylvania and germinated them over the winter. Today about 6 of the seedlings are growing great and i'm hoping they will make interesting bonsai trees in the future!
Species with pinnate leaves usually are not suitable for bonsai. I didn’t know you could bonsai robinia. Thanks for the suggestion: they grow everywhere around here. However I’ll look if it’s possible to make cuttings and/or air layers from mature branches. Not fond of the idea of dealing with the nasty thorns young plants have. 😅 Good luck with your seedlings.👍
Yeah so far my seedlings are growing great, I’ll probably grow them as larger bonsai. If you have luck with cuttings let me know. I’m going to try to propagate some black locust cuttings sometime this summer as well.
wow, this was great! very informative. Keep posting videos!
fantastic!
Black Locust is fairly common in Southern Ontario, although it is not native. It is considered invasive to native trees. That's interesting about the black light, I'll have to try it out! I really enjoy your videos 😀
There were four huge ones in my mothers front yard, about 50 feet. They were dead and were cut down for firewood, very good burning stuff.
Cool black light info
Thank you!
here in wisconsin, black locusts are way too aggressive, so we girdle them. although they do have benefits, the oak savannas and prairies that they invade wouldn’t exist if we didn’t take them out.
i think you are correct. Black locusts form colonies in pastures on mountains in Appalachia, if you don't mow. i used to notice bird flocks in these pretty groved. But years later there was a little forest of other species. Maybe tbey can be useful to generate a new forest. I cut down groves of locust trees twice in the past 35 yesrs.
We're back Baby!
You should do American Persimmon. Love the bark, and how hard it apparently is.
R. pseudoacacia is also an excellent fuel wood. The BTU content as almost as high as white oak. The down side is that it's very difficult to split, and can stall lower-powered splitters.
I came here to say that!
Someone else in the comments said it’s very easy to split. Who’s right?
@@pansepot1490 would you accept "it depends"?
I split mine almost immediately after felling. So it is still very wet. Pretty easy then.
I haven't tried to split it after it has seasoned.
@@pansepot1490 Are you referring to @bmilla35 's comment, saying the wood "splits well?" I can see the confusion, but we were talking about different properties of the logs. bmilla was talking about how the grain runs consistently thru the length of the logs, which does make them split "well," meaning it can be split down to quite small sizes without the individual pieces cracking or crushing (i.e., great for kindling). Softer woods often start to break off to the side, or crush, if you try to get smaller pieces. And, the pieces of the locust are strong (which makes them split well), so you need a beefy splitter to work on larger logs.
Hope that makes sense - kinda hard to write out clearly, what I could show you in a few seconds.
@@jameskniskern2261 we found that the wood if left to dry before splitting, needed then to be “ thoroughly “ dry, after which it splits fairly easily again. Great post wood and fuel when dry.
Don't forget firewood. Very high BTU and easy to coppice/pollard.
Thanks for the great video. What is your favorite way to propagate this tree?
Black Locust is HIGHLY reactive to UV light, turning from buff to Day-Glow Yellow under a blacklight.
Just another reason to appreciate our amazing local species.
My wife hated them because they spread from the roots, creating thickets. I love them for their value as firewood. Because the wood is so hard they dull chainsaw chains fairly quickly. I have an Oregon professional sharpener, so not a problem for me.
Black locust was extremely popular for construction in the Appalachian region. Many southern barns are still standing because they were framed with black locust timber.
You mentioned the Redbud ... I'd love to hear any knowledge you have about the Redbud. It's one of my favorite trees to see in the spiring!
person good with a scroll saw could inlay black locust figures, letters etc. onto black walnut board and front light it with black light LED. Looks nice. Have been turning black locust bowls. Good for cold food, not hot as some say wood is toxic.
Black locust grow very straight, are insects resistant and break down very slowly. So they are used for sill plates on buildings for their amazing longevity.
Where I live it is extremely difficult to find a straight stem, at least, not straight enough for lumber
Ive cut alot of Black Locust for fire wood over the last year and am keeping a few choice pieces to make mallets. Haven't decided what I'll use for handles probably hickory.
I have a large on in my backyard and boy do the sprouts drive me crazy. Love the tree but the thorny sprouts are EVERYWHERE and impossible to get rid of.
Great wood stove fuel
These trees do live a long time. Perhaps not in your part of the country. We just had the city remove 4 black locust down our street that were planted in 1906! So IDK how it’s short lived. They were only cut down because they had been improperly pruned to accommodate power lines.
This tree out competes native woody species and increases the growth of noxious invasive herbaceous plants. It can quickly invade any open space and wreak havok on local ecosystems outside of its native range.
What happened to the hair?? Also this is a huge black locust. Nice video!
I make axe handles out of black locust. Besides burning really hot as firewood, it’s important to mention that almost every part of the black locust is toxic.
The toxicity is slight
More info: While both plants are toxic, black locust primarily affects those who ingest parts of the plant, whereas poison ivy affects through skin contact
So I'm thinking simply don't eat any part of the tree, or breathe the dust. I have cut quite a lot of black locust with a chainsaw in the course of a single day and never had any problemsl.
@ agreed - I’d never had any problem with it either - but this past summer I used some fresh cut black locust for 3 different axe handles. About half way through the second one- and I hand sanded and cut these handles, so I was extremely hands on- I seamed to suddenly be getting splinters on my fingers. Further examination, it turned out there were NO splinters, just wounds that looked, felt, and acted like them. I didn’t go to the Dr.’s, but I have a friend who’s a Dr and he said I might have given myself a touch of ‘black locust poisoning’. I started using gloves while working with it from then on and everything went back to normal. Until then, I didn’t even know it was toxic at all.
@ClubMBaD a roofer I know worked with Western Red Cedar shingles for many years without any problem, and then he started to have allergic symptoms. Since the onset of symptoms, he can't work with it anymore. Now he just does copper roofs. I've read about how allergies to wood species can build up over time, even though there are no symptoms, and then quickly turn into a problem. I'm guessing that allergies to many species work this way.
@ could very well be. This was the first time I’d worked so closely with it-sanding especially. The effects I got from it, like mentioned, resembled splinter wounds… similar to using bleach without any kind of protection. But the handles turned out great
black locust honey MMMMMMMMMMMM
What is it without thorns or flowers?
Traditional bow wood
Is it woodpecker resistant? I have an elm covered in woodpecker pin holes. I’m leaving it as long as it keeps going. But, this seems like the kind of tree that could be pecked from top to bottom, or the woodpeckers might not like it.
The wood is extremely hard
I had these or another variety at the backend of my yard in Northern Idaho and I absolutely hate them. They drop crap all year long and those thorns are nasty, big, thick and about an inch long. Do yourself a favor and never plant it