Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) Improvement in Hungary: a Review

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) was the first forest tree species introduced and acclimated from North America to Europe at the beginning of the 17th century. It is a fast growing, nitrogen fixing, site tolerant, excellent coppicing species with frequent and abundant seed production and relatively high yielding potential. It has a durable and high quality wood, which is used for many purposes. Although native of North America, black locust is now naturalized and widely planted throughout the world from temperate to subtropical areas. In Hungary, this species has played a role of great importance in the forest management, covering approximately 23% of the forested area and providing about 19% of the annual timber output of the country. Due to the increasing interest in black locust growing in many countries, this study has been compiled with the aim of giving a summary on the basis of research and improvement connected with the species over the past decades.