American Walnut?

[Nobody]

[Mike D.]

Black Walnut IS American Walnut. The Black Walnut that is so coveted for gun stocks is a native California tree. Other species of walnuts are imports. When six huge Black Walnuts were removed from one of our family properties, the trunk and root wood was sold to a local man who wanted to use the wood for stocks. That was way back in the mid 1950s, and I was too young to remember the details, but my grandmother was surprised at the interest in "those old dead trees".

[Pathfinder09]

Black Walnut is very beautiful wood and very coveted. It grow in the northest as well in the beech, birch Maple forests. People have been known to steel black walnut tree from other folks properties. I love good walnut. Some of the Euopean walnuts a very beautiful as well.

[Gun Smith]

When U.S. 80 was being widened through the Sacramento valley both sides of the old highway had walnut trees that were removed for the widening project. A forestery instructor at my college went down every weekend and brought back above ground stumps. He used the college's sawmill and cut hundreds of stock blanks to sell. He also cut other woods (maple) and air dried them in his garage. I still have two 55 year old blanks in my garage.

[Mike D.]

Black Walnuts are ever so common around here. Unfortunately, they often die after 40-60 yrs, leaving the limbs to fall and the trunks to stand alone until an enterprising person comes along and removes them. CalTrans won't give the trees away, though. They would rather chip them up and burn the rest. I'm running up to Chico in a few minutes and should see about 100 Walnuts, with maybe half already dead. Great American Gunstock Co, in Yuba City, is out and about trying to get their hands on wood to replace their losses from year before lasts's fire.

[TNBigBore]

Black walnut is pretty common in Tennessee as well. My grandfather had a nice grove that he promised to my father. He got alzheimers and sold them to a neighbor for a song.

[HEAD0001]

The Latin name for Walnut is Juglans Nigra. In English this means Black Poison. Actually the words "American", and "Walnut" are incorrect terrms to describe Juglans Nigra. However the accepted English name for "Juglans Nigra" is Black Walnut. The term "American Walnut" is strictly a slang term. Or a term to separate our "Black Walnut" form other Walnuts around the world. And to also separate it from "White Walnut". I hope all those quotes made sense. So the term "Amercian Walnut" can describe any Walnut that is native to America.

The reason the Latin name "Juglans" applis is that the tree emits a type of poison into the ground that inhibits the growth of other plants around its base. That is why you see Walnut in fence rows around the country. Old time farmers would plant the trees around their fields so they did not have to cut as much brush in their field lines. You never saw a farmer plant his garden under a Walnut tree, and if you have a garden under a Walnut tree you now know why it is doing poorly.

These field line trees are what gave Walnut its figure. Trees that grow in open sunlight will not grow as tall, and will grow into larger diameters(they are not reaching for the canopy for sunlight). This also enriches the auxillary buds, which creates lots of branchs. A lot of the figure comes from these basic buds.

Also the old growth stumps are of great value because walnut grows in a "binary" fashion. In other words one side of the stump tries to mimick the other side, so the grains are opposite of each other. And custom furniture makers went nuts over this. the wood would match perfectly. However this is a lost art.

The main reason for color and grain variations in Black Walnut across the country is based on the type of soil and the amount of minerals in the soil across the country. Both the soil and minerals effect the characteristics of the wod. Tom.

[Pathfinder09]

Mike,

If they are chipping black walnut they should be hung!!!!!!

What a shame. The Republic of California could probably save their budget if they sold them for lumber. Very valuable furniture wood as well.

[HEAD0001]

If the state of California only sold the unused parts of their natural resources they could be a very wealthy state. The Walnut they have is not a drop in the bucket when you compare it to some of the large Redwoods and such that are just decaying away. And the large coastal firs and such. It is a shame. I just wish the tree huggers would pay for the calamity they have created in our great western states.

In the timber industry there is a term used for the tree huggers. And that is called a "Fool Em" strip. Basically that means a strip of trees to be left that is wide enough so that the tree huggers can see trees when they drive by in their SUV's. Then you cut the timber behind the strip, because they rarely get out of their SUV. Notice the word "FOOL".

Timber is one of the only renewable resources we have in this country. And instead of using it we are allowing it to rot on the stump. When I drive through the National Forests of WV and see all the waste it makes me sick. The trees are beautiful-YES I agree with that. But common sense needs to prevail. Tom.

[madman4570]

I thought the Large lumber type "black walnut" tree were more pevalent throughout the eastern United States as far west as the Missouri river.?? But I was thinking of the smaller Southern Black Walnut! or in Northern California they have the English Walnut but no Black Walnut ?????????

[Cosmoline]

If you see an old American-made Mosin-Nagant from the WWII era, there's a good chance it sports a fine Black Walnut stock under the grime. I've seen some amazingly nice examples.

[BAGTIC]

Most black walnut is Juglans nigra, the eastern black walnut. There are many other species of 'black walnuts' in the US including Juglans hindsii (Northern California Black Walnut" whose principle us e is as an understock on which to graft 'English walnuts' (Juglas regia) but all together they constitute a VERY small percentage of the total lumber harvested

"Juglans" does not signify 'poison'. It means Jove's nut, the nut of Jove or Jupiter the Roman god.

[HEAD0001]

Most black walnut is Juglans nigra, the eastern black walnut. There are many other species of 'black walnuts' in the US including Juglans hindsii (Northern California Black Walnut" whose principle us e is as an understock on which to graft 'English walnuts' (Juglas regia) but all together they constitute a VERY small percentage of the total lumber harvested

"Juglans" does not signify 'poison'. It means Jove's nut, the nut of Jove or Jupiter the Roman god.

I guess I will have to fire my Wood Science professor and burn my text book. My text book clearly states that Juglans means "Poison" in Latin. However I do not fluently speak Latin, I only understand the scientific terms. However "Black Walnut" or "Juglans Nigra" still emits a poison into the ground.

Could it be that "Jove's nut" was poison??

Please understand that I am not meaning to argue about this. I do enjoy learning new things.

When I proof read this post I got a big laugh about my statement "Could it be that "Jove's nut was poison". I am not sure if that came out right or not. Tom.

[HEAD0001]

What a particular piece of lumber is called has become very homogenous over the years. Lumber yards started that so that they would not have to specify exactly what species of wood they are selling. So a lot of the accepted terms are actually incorrect as for being the exact species name. Basically lumber is now "clumped" into groups. Such as SPF on your 2X4's. Or the actual homogenous term "American Walnut"-which to my knoweledge does not even actually exist as a specific species-or I never studied it.

I will have to look in my old text books and see if there actually is a "Juglans Americana", I haven't had them out in years. So this give me a good excuse.

IMO Walnut's price is drastically effected by the figure of the wood rather than the actual specific species that it is. And figure is caused more by environmental aspects rather than actual hereditary properties. The amount of light available, competition for that light, and mineral composition of the ground has more to do with it(including moisture). Tom.

[AJMD429]

They would rather chip them up and burn the rest.

We've burned probably 10 cords of black/american walnut over the years for firewood, some of it from logs up to two feet in diameter. Trying to buy it and it is extremely expensive, but the mills won't cut it up because they say it might have nails in it, and they don't like to hassle with the irritating sawdust. If I had had the capital to invest in a small sawmill I could have made a fortune, but never had the spare change or time.

I've saved up some foot-diameter by two foot long sections and a couple longer ones for projects I'll likely never get time for, and don't have the equipment to make...

[Sixgun]

We have lots of walnut around here. My brother-in-law who is a house builder/cabinet maker once rented an overgrown/semi-deserted farm that was named "Walnut Hill". I found out years later why he rented it. He brought in his skidder and sold enough walnut to build his own house, mortage free. Nobody knew nothin'.

I still have several hundred board feet of furniture grade walnut in my barn that he gave me, tryng to figure out what to do with it. ---------Sixgun

[madman4570]

Am looking at maybe putting in an audio outdoors woods sound system that plays soft rock 3 hours begining at early morning, and 3 hours prior to sunset.I took some Civil Culture Forest Management courses from Penn State and all studies reflect the growth rate is definently worth the investment.As long as you have enough acreage that the sound does not cause noise violations!
again,just looking at the possibilites.Have not got the full cost of this yet,but have heard it can be as cheap as $3K-$5K per 100 acres
Wonder how that would seem during hunting?

[Chuck 100 yd]

madman4570 , This Walnut tree liked Bluegrass!!

[madman4570]

Chuck, SWEET! Shes a nice one right there!
Stihl saws too! Looks a little bigger than my Stihl 260 pro
Got to love those Stihls! Ya know, I keep 8 miles of log roads clear with my Stihl FS 86 Brushcutter(with those circlular saw blades/or weed blades)
that thing is unreal providing you keep up with it.Anything fallen bigger like a downed tree I use my 260 pro.
From your pictures, you guys are tree cutting Pros!

[Mike D.]

Believe me, the Black walnut is definitely a native CA tree. I did see a bunch of 'em being chipped up today, just south of Yuba City. Only the small branches were chipped, and there was nice stack of logs behind the fence. Our daughters drive has one hanging over the entrance that needs some serious pruning. The branches dragged my lumber rack as we drove in this morning. Her car is small, but my big old PU is a bit taller.

[mescalero1]

Sixgun,
I'll take it off your hands.

[Kansas Ed]

I thought the English Walnut was the native of CA while the Black Walnut was native of the Eastern and Midwestern US. Never the less, dad has had Black Walnut scattered throughout the farm. Problem is, that the sawmills don't want to pay any real money for Black Walnut in MO. So he just cuts it into firewood as it's not worth the trouble to have taken to the mills. The Amish who run the sawmills in that area, say that the buyers don't pay anything for it either, so even at the low prices they are willing to buy it from dad, they only make profit on the byproducts by the time they are done. So I go into the Lumber Yard and try and buy a Black Walnut board and stagger at the cost. Lumber yard says they don't make anything on it either...and really I do believe them. So the Producer get squat, the mill gets squat and the retailer gets nothing....who's making all the darned money? Who's in the middle? The distributor...

Kind of a sore subject with me.....

Ed

[mescalero1]

Kansas Ed,
I would like to know that answer as wel, like you, to buy it is a shock to the wallet.

[Bogie35]

If I was named after Jupiter's nuts, I would leak poison into the ground too!

bogie

[Sixgun]

Sixgun,
I'll take it off your hands.

Stop on over and bs a while. Be glad to give you a chunk of it.

[mescalero1]

Holy carp!!!!!!!!!
Thats a little more than a stopover.
You need to come out west.

[Sixgun]

Holy carp!!!!!!!!!
Thats a little more than a stopover.
You need to come out west.

Ill be out in October. I'll throw some 4X in my baggage. Have a tall drink ready. I'll have the tall tales. ---------------Sixgun

[Abilene]

They really don't give you much for the walnut trees. I have been talkin' to a logger about the trees on the place my wife has, they only offered us $1000 per semi load. I have to pay $5 to$7 a board foot in OKC for the walnut my students use. I've been watching trees go down the Turnpike here in S.E. Oklahoma and they have about 10 trees on 'em.
Plus they leave the stumps and brush for the land owner to clean up. NO THANKS, I don't need any extra work. When one washes out and falls in the creek I'll have it cut into stock blanks.
As it is I generate enough walnut scraps to build tool boxes for all my jigs and fixtures, reloading tools(trimmer), mold blocks. I use walnut like most people use pine, just 'cause I have it.
This place also has English walnut grafted on black walnut, this produces some of the most figured wood I've seen. So far it makes handsome turkey calls(pots)that sound good too.
The wifes Granddad also planted English walnuts, in south central Oklahoma, we dug one up, it's been curing in the barn a while. This wood has grain like walnut but is as white as ash. Seems like the black walnut sap is what transfers the mineral streaks in the grafted trees and gives them a dark butterscotch color. My new grip cap and fore end tip wood.
While I was studying Industrial Arts at OSU I found out that wind from one direction gives trees the fiddleback figure, other than that all I ever used was stump and crotch figure.
Abilene

[Chuck 100 yd]

We had some like Abilene talks about. A rifle stock made of the area of the graft gives American walnut butt figure and straighter grained mineral streaks in the fore end. Half and half. Very cool.

[madman4570]

Black Walnut ( prices will vary some with demand!)

[Kansas Ed]

Abiline,
You pretty much hit the nail on the head with your assessment. Exactly the same situation as Dad over in Missouri. The price is pretty similar too.

Ed

[BAGTIC]

"I guess I will have to fire my Wood Science professor and burn my text book. My text book clearly states that Juglans means "Poison" in Latin. However I do not fluently speak Latin, I only understand the scientific terms. However "Black Walnut" or "Juglans Nigra" still emits a poison into the ground.

Could it be that "Jove's nut" was poison??"

HEAD, It appears that someone foisted off on you one of those modern 'politaically correct' textbooks and that your professor was the result of the modern practice of 'social promotions'.

'Jove's nut' means it was fit food for Jupiter (Jove) head of the Roman pantheon, i.e. 'fit for the Gods'.

http://www.gardenology.org/wiki/Juglans_regia