Walnut Tree Makes for Great Yard Landscaping

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By the mid-1800s, most of the really large trees were gone, but walnut continued to be used to make everything from fence posts and railroad ties (because it didn’t rot easily) to gunstocks. Today, black walnut is still prized for use in gunstocks, because it doesn’t warp or splinter and absorbs recoil better than any other wood.

Another major use of black walnut is as a veneer. Veneer is made by slicing the wood to create very thin (about 1/28th of an inch thick) sheets and gluing the sheets to paneling and cabinets. Trees used for veneer are typically at least 16 inches in diameter and preferably larger. The best trees for lumber grow in natural, woodland settings, where the trunk tends to grow straighter with a smaller crown of spreading branches at the top. These trees produce better and larger logs, as well as the darker heartwood prized for furniture.

There are numerous “urban myths” associated with the value of black walnut trees, especially those growing in residential environments. Claims have been heard of a single tree bringing thousands of dollars. As with any tree species, the value is based on many factors, such as current demand, supply and the quality of the wood. If you have black walnut trees you are thinking about selling, first check with a consulting forester or your state forestry agency and determine the value of the trees in question.

In addition to the tree’s valuable lumber, the walnuts themselves are extremely valuable. While most commercially sold nuts (Persian walnuts, pecans, macadamia) are grown in orchards, a substantial portion of the black walnut harvest comes from naturally growing stands of trees. The best nut trees grow in open areas where they develop a widespread crown of branches. While the annual harvest of black walnuts is small compared with Persian (sometimes called English) walnuts, a demand for them always exists.

The nut meat is used for baking and in ice cream and walnut stain is derived from the husks of ripened walnuts. During World War I, not only were gunstocks made from walnut wood, the woody hulls of walnuts were ground up to make activated charcoal for use in gas masks. Walnut hulls have also been used as abrasives to clean jet engines and to assist in drilling oil wells. Native Americans ground up the green husks of black walnuts to use as a poison (that didn’t affect people) to catch large numbers of fish. Extracts from black walnut hulls are used to treat a variety of internal and external parasites in both humans and animals. 

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