Disclaimer: Outside of its native range (in and around the Appalachian Mountain range in Eastern North America) Black Locust – Robinia Pseudoacacia – can become invasive. It is a pioneer species meant to recolonize disturbed ground and compete with grass. If you are outside of its native range please proceed with caution with this species, or consider using a species native to your area that fills the same niche.
Black Locust Coppicing – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
It is now late winter – February of 2025 – and I have just bucked up the stems from last year which I had felled and left to lay on the ground. Leaving them down produced an interesting result – fungus. The sapwood and heartwood of the main stems didn’t become colonized with mycelium, but the twigs, small branches, and bark (headline picture) were in many cases well on their way into decay. This was interesting and mildly surprising given the Black Locust’s storied rot resistance, but I don’t think it was anything that would challenge its reputation as it did not affect the ‘lumber’ parts. It does answer a question I have seen – the small brush piles could be used to good effect as a hugel bed filler (a project for another day, possibly another year).
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Anonymous Appalachian Agrarian 