Landscaping: Thornless and fruitless varieties have been developed by the horticultural industry and are used extensively in landscaping. The trees are very hardy and are often used in parking lot islands and along side walks. The open canopy and small leaves will not shade out turf grasses or other landscape plants.
Wildlife: Honey locust is used extensively by wildlife. The bean pods are a favorite food of the white-tailed deer, squirrels, rabbits, hogs, opossums, and raccoons. Domestic animals such as sheep, goats, and cattle will also forage on the honey locust bean pods. Browsing and grazing animals, such as deer, cattle, and sheep utilize the tender shoots in spring and the bark of young trees in winter. Honey locust is capable of forming dense thickets of vegetation which provides excellent cover for a wide variety of game animals and birds. Flowers of this species are incredibly attractive to pollinating insects.
Timber: Wood from the honey locust is very dense, shock resistant and commonly used in the timber industry. Honey locust wood is easily split, capable of obtaining a high luster finish, and is durable when in contact with soil. For these reasons, timber from honey locust has been used as fence posts, railroad ties, furniture, warehouse or shipping pallets, tool handles and fuel.
Ethnobotanical: Native Americans used the dried pulp from the seed pods as a sweetening agent and a minor food source. The wood was used to make bows, and a variety of medicines were made from various parts of the plant.
Weediness: This plant may become weedy or invasive in some regions or habitats and may displace desirable vegetation if not properly managed. 
Description and Adaptation: Honey locust is a woody, long lived, native, deciduous, legume (Fabaceae family), and is capable of obtaining 100 feet in height. The doubly compound leaves are alternate and dark green in color. The bark is dark gray and black with deep fissures that form large “plates” of bark on mature trees. Long, twisted seed pods form in late summer, and turn from green to dark reddish brown as they mature. The size of these pods is highly variable, and they give off a very strong, sweet aroma when they ripen and fall to the ground.
Honey locust is a pioneering woody species commonly found in overgrown pastures, fields, fence lines, and wood lot edges. It has a very broad range of adaptation, and is distributed nationwide, excluding Oregon and Washington. The greatest concentration of plants can be found in the central portions of the U.S. It prefers moist, fertile, alluvial soils. It will withstand periods of drought and prolonged wetness, and is commonly found in the upland areas along river drainages.
Establishment: This plant is often distributed by animals which have consumed the seed and passed them through their gut.  Root cuttings have also been successfully used for propagation. Honey Locust requires full sun, and will not tolerate shading.
Management: Once established, trees are generally maintenance free. Pruning of lower limbs will encourage tall, upright growth.
Pests and Potential Problems: Honey Locust has few significant pests. Canker can sometimes be a problem, but rarely kills the tree.
This plant can become a nuisance, and will dominate a site if left unchecked or mismanaged. 
Environmental Concerns: Due to rapid growth, aggressive re-sprouting, and density of the wood, this plant has excellent potential for use as a biofuel either by direct burning of the wood or cellulosic ethanol production.
Control: Honey locust is intolerant of fire. Timely, periodic burning will eliminate it from open areas. Herbicides may also be used for control and suppression. Cutting young trees results in excessive re-spouting from the stump and roots, compounding the original problem exponentially. Stumps from cut trees must be treated with herbicide to prevent aggressive re-sprouts from forming dense thickets of trees.
Photo Credit: Herman, D.E., et al. 1996. North Dakota tree handbook