As with most things, value is based on ones objectives. As a timber tree, ironwood has no value, but in areas with little aspen, ironwood catkins are an important winter food for grouse. Turkeys love it when they have heavy seed crops and scratch up the ground big time.
Now I get it as I have an overabundance of ironwood from past poor management before acquiring my woods. So reducing the level of ironwood to promote other trees to grow makes sense. But for diversity I don't want them all gone. They are also a very disease resistant tree.
My butternut are all dead (butternut canker). My elms are about 90% gone (dutch elm disease). My hickory are now trying to be all dead (hickory decline). Up next to be laid waste are ash (emerald ash borer). EAB is not yet in my county but EVERY county to the south of me has detected populations. I also have been planting oaks since wiped out with previous high grading and cows later in the woods. However on some family land a couple counties south, big patches of oaks are dying from oak wilt. Did I mention that diversity is good? Ask a forester and every ironwood is junk. Ask a biologist and you might get a different answer.
