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Currently the choice of
durable wood is either chemically
pressure-treated or old growth fir, redwood, cedar,
or cypress. There is a need for a quality alternative source
of lumber. Our organization is working to save the genetics
of superior trees and start making them available in industrial
quantities. We are making strides with Shipmast Locust and
more recently, Catalpa.
Why
Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)?
USDA
Factsheet on Blacklocust
Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) produces
a durable, attractive, and natural wood. "The durability
factors of Robinia are very high, and the timber may be
safely used for all external purposes without a preservative(6)"
The
Tree: Black
Locust reaches heights of 100 feet, with a diameter of 3
feet.

Distribution: Black Locust is native to the Appalachian Mountains
from Pennsylvania to northern Georgia and Alabama and to
the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri, Arkansas and eastern
Oklahoma. Also in southern Illinois and Indiana. It has
been extensively naturalized in the United States and Canada(7).
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