Black Walnut Trees For Lumber

Black walnut juglans nigra is one of six species of walnut tree which grows in the united states.

Black walnut trees for lumber. Along with mahogany and cherry walnut set the standard for early american furniture. Black walnut also known as walnut or american walnut is one of the finest north american lumber species. A rule of thumb is to never allow a branch to exceed 1 1 2 to 2 inches in diameter before removal. Black walnut is usually not found in pure walnut stands it frequently appears with yellow poplar white ash black cherry basswood beech sugar maple red oak and hickory trees.

8x10 spacing i e plant one tree every eight feet within the tree rows with ten feet between tree rows 545 trees per acre is how i would design my tree planting if i were in your position. Growing black walnut for timber. Market value of black. The walnut tree is hearty shade tolerant and can grow to be quite large both in width and in height.

The value of black walnut lumber about black walnut. Most black walnut trees are grown to produce saw logs or veneer. Black cherry 400 to 800 per mbf california redwood 700 to 900 per mbf douglas fir 150 to 300 per mbf hard maple 300 to 800 per mbf pine yellow spruce or hemlock 75 to 250 per mbf red oak 300 to 600 per mbf red pine 50 to 160 per mbf soft maple 100 to 400 per mbf walnut 900 to. Black walnut typically grows as scattered individual trees or in small groups in mixture with a wide variety of other hardwoods.

High quality walnut is valued primarily for its use as furniture wood but especially for its use in. Pruning for timber quality as a black walnut tree grows in a plantation removal of branches from the main stem is essential for the development of knot free veneer quality wood. According to timber experts black walnut trees when planted to maximize tree growth can grow as much as 3 to 4 per year in good soil reaching a mature height of over 100 and 30 to 40 in diameter with 16 diameter saw logs ready to harvest in 30 years. To maximize the timber value and your potential cash payout you should enlist the services of a qualified professional logger and have the logs evaluated by a grader who has received formal training from a recognized educational institution.

Typical black walnut tree plantations are set out in contiguous tree rows. The most poorly formed trees will be removed in these thinnings. Growing black walnut trees starting a black walnut tree plantation. The value of timber value is largely determined by the relative presence or absence of defects.

Black walnut native growing areas are concentrated in eastern canada and the. Plant one tree every ten feet within your tree rows with ten feet between tree rows i e 43 560 square feet per acre divided by 10x10 spacing yields 436 trees per acre. High quality trees should have very few visible defects including scars bumps cracks crookedness holes or low hanging limbs. Black walnut north american growing zones.