--- title: Black Locust in Northern Nevada | Tree Guide url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/black-locust/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Tree guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/) - Black locust # Black locust Black locust is a fast-growing, thorny, deeply furrowed tree that spreads by root suckers and has been planted widely in the West for shade, posts and erosion control. It handles poor soil, but it is short lived and its branches break, and removal needs a plan for the suckers. - **Botanical name:** Robinia pseudoacacia - **Type:** Deciduous tree, thorny, nitrogen-fixing legume - **Height:** Typically 40 to 60 feet, trunks 12 to 30 inches across - **Lifespan:** Usually about 90 years - **Suckers:** Sprouts from roots and stumps - **Hardiness:** Zones 6b to 7b across the service area A grove of black locust springing up around a lone tree is the signature of this species. It is easy to plant and hard to get rid of. ## How do you identify black locust? Leaves are compound with oval leaflets that fold at night. Young trees and shoots carry pairs of short thorns at the base of the leaf. Bark on older trees is thick, deeply furrowed and dark brown, with ridges that cross. In late spring it is covered in drooping white flower clusters, followed by flat brown pods. - Compound leaves with small oval leaflets - Paired thorns on young growth - Deeply furrowed dark bark - White flower clusters in late spring ## Where does it grow here? Black locust is a planted and naturalised tree on valley and foothill lots, including Reno (4,500 feet), Carson City (4,700 feet), the Carson Valley (4,700 to 4,900 feet) and Dayton (4,400 feet), in zones 6b to 7b. It takes poor, dry soil but grows far better with irrigation; the nearest NOAA stations record about 7 to 9 inches of precipitation a year. It is uncommon in the Tahoe basin. ## What goes wrong with black locust? The Forest Service says the tree grows fast but is short lived, typically about 90 years. It reports locust borer attack combined with drought killed 55.5 percent of black locust in the Oklahoma panhandle in the 1930s, and that in an ice storm study 36 percent of planted trees were badly broken. Dead or ragged crowns, small holes with sawdust and snapped limbs are the signs to watch. An arborist identifies the cause; we do not spray. Sprouting is the second problem. The Forest Service says root and stump sprouting is more common than seedlings and that fire and cutting stimulate it. Removal without a plan for the roots leaves a thicket. Thorns on suckers are a hazard for tires and bare skin. ## What does an arborist check on a black locust? We look at how many stems the tree has and where they join, since multi-stem locusts split at the union under snow. We check the crown for dead twigs and borer holes, and the base for decay. We also look at where the suckers are coming up, because a thicket near a fence, septic field or neighbor's lawn changes the plan. Some lots are better served by removing the whole grove in one visit; some need only the dead trees cleared. ## Pruning, removal and firewood Dead wood and hazardous limbs come off at any time. Otherwise, late winter is the usual window for deciduous trees. Prune to remove deadwood and shorten long limbs, because broken limbs are the failure mode. Removal is usual for a tree that is dying, split, leaning toward a house, or growing in a place where its suckers are a problem. Stump grinding takes out the stump; the sprouts can be cut back. See [stump grinding](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/stump-grinding/) and [tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-removal/). A certified arborist assesses the job on a free estimate. For firewood, call the office; we do not publish wood types or terms on the site. ### Sources - [USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System: Robinia pseudoacacia](https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/robpse/all.html) (read October 17, 2026) - [USDA Agricultural Research Service: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (PRISM, Oregon State University)](https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/) (read October 17, 2026) - [NOAA NCEI: U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (read October 17, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [Honeylocust](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/honeylocust/) - [Ash trees: Modesto, Raywood and green ash](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/ash/) - [Stump grinding and stump removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/stump-grinding/) - [Tree removal](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/tree-removal/) - [Firewood and wood chips](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-services/firewood-wood-chips/) - [Catalpa](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/catalpa/) ### Terms on this page [Arborist](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/arborist/) [The full glossary](https://battleborntreeservice.com/glossary/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Why do I have so many shoots coming up around my locust? They are root suckers. The Forest Service says root and stump sprouting is more common than reproduction by seed. ### How long does a black locust live? The US Forest Service says usually about 90 years. ### Are the thorns dangerous? Young trees and suckers are thorny, and the thorns can puncture tires and skin. Our crews work with the right protection. ### Will cutting it down kill it? Cutting can stimulate sprouting from the stump and roots. Plan to grind the stump and cut sprouts back.