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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 11, 2021     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 11, 2021
 
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Page A—8 Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021 A plague of locusts olks have the unkind- Fest things to say about locusts. Whether it’s the insect scourge or the trees known as “honey” or “black” locust, there is abundant op- probrium for all these fine organisms. Locust insects, like deer, can be fattened on your food, especially grain, before you eat them. Their appetite for agricultural products is at the root of their unpopularity. Fried, smoked or dried, they have been a staple since at least John the Baptist dipped them in wild honey. v Speaking of honey, the honey locust has pods that are delicious to sloths. It also bristles with thorns long , enough to kill a man and strong enough to puncture tires. I’m not here to say any- thing in defense of honey lo- custs, though I have an open mind about their possible virtues. The black locust is similarly thorny, though not quite so forbiddingly so. Its pods are said to taste like .sugar snap peas. It is a ni- trogen-fixing tree with very valuable wood that feeds ev- erything from insects to pol— linators to deer. I should mention here that it is on the King County Weeds of Concern list. Like honey locust, it is aggressively expansive and one tree can spread as far as 20 feet away via root runners. m ALEX FETfilERE PENINSULA PERMACULTURE An eruptive grove of thorny trees hard enough to dull Chainsaws explains why " some curse this restorative plant. Particularly in the built environment, black lo- cust can make for a lot of bad blood and burst boundaries. Those same properties make it a splendid healer of abused land. I planted sev- eral black locusts years ago in partial shade to colonize an eroding sandy hillside, and so far they have done nothing of the sort. One out of five died and the rest are growing steadily, each having put on a foot since 2019. They’re grow- ing in an area that'lacks a1- der, and I hoped they would spread by runners to hold the soil while fixing nitrogen. In seven years, black 10- cust can provide outstand— ing firewood, and in 20 years it can be milled for lumber. This wood resists rot better than pressure-treated lumber in ergency Assistance shington State Departrnemrfif’ morial Hall ‘ x 11, WA 98584 Wed. 9 a.m.-12 pm. and 1 p.m.~4 p.m._ mergency financial assistance, food assistance, upport, motel/hotel for homeless vets, rental tility assistance. ent cc home page 9:00 a.m.~5:00 pm. ipia Hwy N., Suite 420 ‘ Adrian R. M g DCMHS . Shelton, WA 98584 (360) 462-3320 Shelton, WA 9 (360) 426-45 . ~Whyte', Ph.D., LMHC, CCMHC, x, Loco s/l . find/lull farm/I) warm}! . Plate from “The North American Sylva,” 1819, illustrating black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). Public domain while at the same time it’s safe enough for children’s picnic tables. It is often used as trellising in organic Vine- yards, or as fence posts. Plenty of articles will warn you about growing it, but those that I found were referring to suburbs and cit- ies. Any pioneer plant, which by definition wants to enrich conditions for successor trees to come, should be carefully considered before siting in the built environment. On a sandy hillside under a canopy of big-leaf maple, it’s hard to see black locust becoming “invasive.” Along a steep narrow driveway, sup- porting bamboo plantings, it can only descend a 50—degree slope or infiltrate the gravel and get pulverized. Nearby properties are unlikely to be affected. Seed pods don’t travel well via wind or birds, and germina- tion rates are poor besides. Akiva Silver, in the excel- lent.“Trees of Power: Ten Es- sential Arboreal Allies,” says black locust will shade itself out within 80 years, leav- ing rich black soil for native rooting plants. If you aren’t sure, just mow down the root , sprouts as they come up and cut the tree for firewood while it’s still a manageable size. It will be building your soil no matter what you do to it. David Ahlgren, permacul- ture instructor and earthwork specialist, likes to say that “where there is a thorn, there is an edge.” Like Himalayan blackberry grows in disturbed areas at the interface be— tween humanity and wilder- ness, protecting these demili- tarized zones with a hedge of thorns and sprawling roots, black locust can build back better — but without all the hot air and haggling. ‘ I Alex Féthiére has lived on Harstine Island long enough to forget New York City, where he built community gardens and double-dug his suburban sod into a victory garden. He can be reached at onlandist@gmail.com. ‘a Veterans Servi’ «C Aofi'ers long-term ce. or can '1-800-562L2398 so the efits you’ve earned. ‘