Damaged Black Locust Tree

One of the first Black Locust trees we planted here on the homestead is getting up to a good size to cut for firewood.

Originally, my plan was to pollard it around shoulder or head height but it has developed a crotch between 18-24" off the ground and it appears (though it is hard to be sure from outside observation) that there may be some rotting or internal damage in the main trunk.

I'm not sure what the best way to proceed would be.  
Should I pollard as planned, and see if the damaged crotch holds as the years pass?
Should I "pollard" low, at or below the damage even though that will only be 2' off the ground?
Should I coppice right at ground level and remove both the crotch and the damage entirely?

What would you do?

Black locust will throw root sprouts a long way. I would cut it at the base. Coppiced black locust wouldn't be good for fenceposts (the heartwood is the resistant part) but good for other things.

Yes, our plan is mostly for firewood or at least kindling rather than rods or posts, though that may change as we get more trees up.

That one tree has definitely sent out many runners and we're managing them where they need managed and only pruning branches to keep walkways clear where we don't.

Mike Leonido wrote:One of the first Black Locust trees we planted here on the homestead is getting up to a good size to cut for firewood.

Originally, my plan was to pollard it around shoulder or head height but it has developed a crotch between 18-24" off the ground and it appears (though it is hard to be sure from outside observation) that there may be some rotting or internal damage in the main trunk.

I'm not sure what the best way to proceed would be.  
Should I pollard as planned, and see if the damaged crotch holds as the years pass?
Should I "pollard" low, at or below the damage even though that will only be 2' off the ground?
Should I coppice right at ground level and remove both the crotch and the damage entirely?

What would you do?

Hi Mike
If you've already got decay developing, pollarding probably isn't your best option for this tree. I'd probably also coppice it at ground level. You didn't mention why you want to pollard it but I think that's an important question. It's a lot easier (and safer) to fell trees at ground level than up off the ground so unless there's a good reason to pollard, I'd usually defer to coppicing personally.

Gred Gross wrote:Black locust will throw root sprouts a long way. I would cut it at the base. Coppiced black locust wouldn't be good for fenceposts (the heartwood is the resistant part) but good for other things.

I definitely agree with coppicing the tree but I don't see why coppiced black locust wouldn't be any good for fenceposts. Black locust is reknown for it's proportion of heartwood to sapwood, usually only maintaining 2-3 rings of sapwood once the heartwood has formed. You'd need to let it grow to a diameter that's useful for fenceposts anyway when there should be plenty of heartwood developed, but unless I'm missing something, that shouldn't be a problem.