Butternut Tree

[kabic]

I was on my way back home from a business trip to Milwaukee a few weeks ago when I stopped at a rest area. They had a poster of native Wisconsin trees. I saw that Shagbark Hickory and Butternut were both native trees to Wisconsin that produce nuts. I don't think these trees get talked about much because deer don't use them much.

I have heard of hickory before, but not Butternut so I had to look it up. Butternut is also called White Walnut. It seems the Butternut has a similar story to the American Chestnut. There is a Butternut Canker that is killing the trees. There is also a group working to create Hybrids with Japanese Walnut and then back crossing with 100% Butternut trees to get resistant trees.

Anybody have Butternut on their property?

 

[kabic]

Identification of Butternuts and Butternut Hybrids

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-420-W.pdf

Page 4 show a picture of Butternut, and that of the Black Walnut.


A companion document to above: Conservation and Management of Butternut Trees

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-421-W.pdf

 

[2ndHand]

Hey Kabic, I planted about 1 dozen Butternut (bare root) stock about 3 years ago. The root development wasn't the greatest when I received them and the last couple of years haven't been the greatest for timely rainfall. I am headed to the farm this weekend and will try to take a few photo's.

 

[j-bird]

I don't have any but my dads place has 2. They where planted 20+ years ago along with some black walnut. If you don't know what you are looking for you will walk right past them. Can't say we see any deer usage of the nuts, but the squirrels like them. They had been planted in a small plantation type setting and have pretty much kept pace with the walnuts. Only reason I see them being of any use is for timber. They don't seem to be affected by the jugalone from the walnut, but I think they are in the same family as walnut so that would make sense. They seem to favor the same soil as walnut as well, fertile, bottomland soils.

 

[chickenlittle]

My parents have a couple butternuts on their farm in NE PA and many more black walnuts. The butternuts are not in good shape due to disease but I am not familiar with the exact cause. There was another tree or two when I was a kid that have since died. My grandparents lived less than a mile away and had some butternuts too. My grandfather liked to gather up the black walnuts and butternuts for eating. I doubt I have eaten a butternut since I was a kid but my recollection is they were better tasting than the walnut. My real favorite, however, was the chinese chestnut trees he had planted.

The largest and most healthy butternut that I have ever seen is next door to my father-in-law. It is in a residential section of Binghamton, NY.

 

[bwoods11]

There is a hybrid butternut available that is supposed to be disease resistant. I've never ordered any, but they are a popular tree for timber value.

 

[sandbur]

Butternut is great for wood carving. I have a bit in storage.
One farmer/client had a wall paneled with diagonal strips of butternut and white birch. I liked it.

The northern range of butternut in central Mn. extends into Crow Wing county, Some pockets up there had escaped the disease for a period. Perhaps they are infected by now.

 

[foggy]

I had a single large butternut tree at my old cabin at Trout Lake (Crosslake MN). Folks that knew trees told me it was somewhat of an oddity now due to losses to disease. Mine sure put out the nuts.....and we had lots of squirrels. Not sure if the deer fed on them.....but they sure worked out on our hostas. Lots of resident deer around the area lakes - no hunting zones.

 

[greyphase]

I have planted several Buartnut trees the past few years from SLN. They are a Butternut X Heartnut cross. They are still too young to produce nuts.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

My parents have maybe half a dozen butternuts growing in their 5 acre woods, but the larger ones all are diseased. I would guess the largest are maybe 12-16" in diameter and 20 or 30 feet tall. They still produce quite a few nuts though despite being diseased, but it's pretty tough to beat the squirrels to them. I really doubt a deer could crack the shell on butternuts or walnuts for that matter, but who knows. smsmith's description of the bark is accurate.

I've heard the nuts are very good to eat, but I haven't tried them personally.

 

[sandbur]

I had a single large butternut tree at my old cabin at Trout Lake (Crosslake MN). Folks that knew trees told me it was somewhat of an oddity now due to losses to disease. Mine sure put out the nuts.....and we had lots of squirrels. Not sure if the deer fed on them.....but they sure worked out on our hostas. Lots of resident deer around the area lakes - no hunting zones.

That northernmost pocket of butternuts was north of Deerwood.

 

[kabic]

The range map in the link above shows a finger of range going right through Crow Wing county curving right into where Aitkin and Itasca counties meet. I think Cross Lake is a little outside of that, but I will let you guys who know the area discuss that

Edit: actually I think that is right in middle of that finger

 

[kabic]

Anybody ever order from True Nature Farm in MN?

http://truenaturefarm.com/index.html

Dave's Better Butternut: Now we are able to offer
seedlings of trees that have shown signs of tolerance to
butternut canker for the last 15+ years. These seeds
are collected only from cankered trees that show good
timber form and minimal or no crown dieback.
Currently, planting seeds from these trees types of trees
offers the best hope of finding trees resistant to
butternut canker. Grown from seed collected in
southeastern Minnesota. Hardy to zone 3. Sorry, no
shipments to AZ, CA, NM and TX.

Sorry, none available spring 2014. Available fall 2014 (1-
0), 8-16" for $ 4.00 each, 10 for $ 30.00.