Black Walnut Wildlife Value

[Telemark]

That's true, and aren't the stumps usually left in the woodlot to rot?

I believe so. That's one of the reasons I want to teach the next generation how to utilize the resource and pass that knowledge on. They will get a hell of a lot more money if they harvest it themselves and do it properly over time.

 

[Brian662]

I believe so. That's one of the reasons I want to teach the next generation how to utilize the resource and pass that knowledge on. They will get a hell of a lot more money if they harvest it themselves and do it properly over time.

So what do you recommend? Getting an excavator to dig up the stumps?

 

[Telemark]

So what do you recommend? Getting an excavator to dig up the stumps?

Yes. If they are big enough to be worth harvesting.

If I had walnut to harvest now, I would probably rent and excavator for a day and dig up the stumps after felling and bucking the trees. Then I'd rent a skid steer with a grapple and move everything down to where I could mill it. Then I would mill it into 8/4 slabs and stack it with spacers and move it out of the forest to a place where it could dry. For that I'm thinking about buying a container and setting up some warm air to use it as a kiln and storage.

This is not a concrete plan. But it sure sounds like a good way to get max value with little expense. Then after I had all the material I need I would sell the container and mill.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

This thread piqued my curiosity so I went down to a stand I have of walnut. I didn’t have a tape to measure these but I have several where I couldn’t reach around or barley if I could. After seeing the numbers thrown around I don’t want to wait too long and risk them rotting. Are these a good size to harvest?

 

[Telemark]

This thread piqued my curiosity so I went down to a stand I have of walnut. I didn’t have a tape to measure these but I have several where I couldn’t reach around or barley if I could. After seeing the numbers thrown around I don’t want to wait too long and risk them rotting. Are these a good size to harvest?
View attachment 62243View attachment 62244

I think you are in a similar situation to me. You need to research the hell out of the market before you harvest those trees. Probably you will want to çuct them into lumber in order t9 get the most calue

 

[Brian662]

It's hard to truly tell the size without something to scale it off of but they look pretty decent. If you can't get your arms around it, I'd think they are ready.
Could have your wife measure your arm lengths and do the math to find diameter?

 

[Mortenson]

I think you are in a similar situation to me. You need to research the hell out of the market before you harvest those trees. Probably you will want to çuct them into lumber in order t9 get the most calue

The high value trees most always go for veneer. Don't cut a veneer log into boards! But they need to be nearly perfect. I'm not sure if the pictured trees are perfect enough.

 

[Mortenson]

Been watching some similar trees in our bottom forever. Time goes by so slowly. Hah



And took a pic of Chris by our grove today as we reloaded some cameras. Needs thinning!

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

It's hard to truly tell the size without something to scale it off of but they look pretty decent. If you can't get your arms around it, I'd think they are ready.
Could have your wife measure your arm lengths and do the math to find diameter?

Just had my wife measure. 69” (giggity).

 

[Brian662]

Just had my wife measure. 69” (giggity).

Nice.

Circumference/3.14=diameter

About 22" in very rough math, obviously.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I had hoped (not counted on) that we would have more useable log trees on the new farm. Simply because I enjoy wood working and thought that would be neat to take projects from tree to completion. Unfortunately, due to timber management previously and soil depth on our farm that is not the case. I find myself saying I should leave that tree (walnut, oak, hickory) because it might be better someday, but that doesn't really do me any good. I think I have a enough trees to do some projects for the new house.

 

[H20fwler]

^ I've not found walnut worth a damn for firewood. Instead it smolders and smokes more than providing much for heat.

Cut this one down this morning. Had ugly branch splits low on the log and threw way to much shade in the afternoon out where I will be planting eight new pear trees this spring.

Cut and split I will get $500 out of this one for firewood in a NY second from the local townies.



And my brush puller made a couple sweet bunny piles along the edge of woods.

 

[Brian662]

Harvest has begun.

 

[H20fwler]

Was a balmy 16 degrees this morning so got out the saw and maul and finished up the log on the walnut I dropped the other day and got everything split and stacked.

Stihl makes a great saw and Fiskars makes the best maul I’ve ever swung.
I run a 271 Farm Boss with an 18” bar, wouldn’t have wanted any smaller of a saw for a tree that size but at my age it starts getting heavy after a couple tanks of gas…and the bar was almost to short for that log.
Walnut sure does split nice!
Saved a nice piece for my oldest son who is wanting to make some picture frames.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

View attachment 62589
Harvest has begun.

Were you quoted any specific prices for those walnuts?

 

[Telemark]

Fiskars makes the best maul I’ve ever swung.

I love mine. Some species practically explode when hit with a Fiskars splitting maul. Excellent ergonomics as well. I think the only step up from a Fiskars is a hydraulic splitter.

 

[Brian662]

Were you quoted any specific prices for those walnuts?

No, just 70% of the sale. Last I heard there will be three buyers at the landing, hopefully get some decent competition to drive the price up a bit.

 

[Mortenson]

You guys using the 6 lb or 8 lb fiskars maul?

 

[H20fwler]

You guys using the 6 lb or 8 lb fiskars maul?

I’m not sure, I just looked but mine doesn’t have the weight on it that I can see.

 

[Telemark]

You guys using the 6 lb or 8 lb fiskars maul?

Same as what H20fwler said.

I can tell you that mine is not the biggest model they sell. I needed to be able to comfortably carry it a few miles into the forest and use it for felling and limbing as well as splitting(mostly Scotch pine). I saw at least one model that's bigger than mine and it's an absolute beast, so I'm sure mine is not 8 lbs. Come to think of it, I think mine is actually a splitting axe rather than a maul by US terms. In Norway everything is called "øks" (axe).

Mine is similar to this:

X25 Kløveøkse - XL

Den perfekte økse til at hugge store træstammer med. Det store blads enestående skæreevne giver dig al den kraft, du har brug for, mens den særlige bladgeometri og -finish suppleres af et let, men robust skaft med 3D-greb og perfekt balance, som g...

www.fiskars.dk