We removed our thornless honey locust after about 35 years' growth. It had been a mail-order purchase. Although wide arching, it leaned heavily towards the west giving the appearance of imminent toppling. It was self cleaning. It's lower branches and many other small branches died back and fell during various storms. Fortunately, the branches had rotted to a soft pulp before falling, causing no harm. The leaves were late to sprout in Spring, which gave us more sun at a time when it was welcome. In some years, the early summer flowers emitted a delicious honey scent, but this was not reliable. Seed pods were never formed implying that this was a male. Seedlings were occasionally seen growing, but they must have been sprouts from the far reaching roots. The lawn grew well under the tree because it cast only dappled shade. In early summer, various caterpillars routinely devoured the leaflets near the ends of the branches. The damage was soon covered up with new growth. The leaflets, which turned a golden yellow in the fall, did not cause distress when they were shed. Raking was only a minor chore and they were a useful and attractive mulch on the flower beds. The leaf stems, however, which fell separately were sunsightly to some eyes. The leaflets tended to stick to the soles of one's shoes and these were invariably brought into the house. The roots spread widely, some 30 feet in all directions and grew right along the surface. They became more exposed with time and created havoc while mowing the lawn. The tree also drained the soil of much moisture making other plantings difficult. Most destructively, the roots started to raise the cement paving and caused cracks to appear. After the tree was taken down, locust sprouts are still popping up from bits of root which were overlooked during the extensive excavation.