The black locust tree: a hardy multitasker

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Cornell University thinks pretty highly of black locust, native to the Appalachian Mountains, but now spread all over the country – it was one of the first trees colonists sent back to Europe for its rot-resistant wood and prolific offering of flowers loved by honey bees. For mountains topped by mining or wastelands subject to erosion, it can stabilize the soil quickly as it fixes nitrogen and has an extensive root system that absorbs other nutrients and water. If you want wood furniture for your patio, locust can’t be beat. For commercial lumber production, be it fencing or siding, it’s quality and fast growth rate are without equal. In Hungary, twenty percent of timber land is planted in locust for fuel and lumber, their geneticists have done the finest breeding work for straight trunks.