Hopefully someone can help me with this question....
West coast - I have a walnut orchard (abandoned for last 10 years) with 100
or so black walnut trees. As I understand the root stock planted some 80
years ago was BW and then an English walnut grafted on to that to produce
the orchard. Over the years, the trees appear to have reverted to all Black
Walnut. At least that's what they look like, bark, leaves etc...with an
occasional limb that is clearly English Walnut.
So I don't want to mill until I have more info on what I'll get ...Does
anyone have experience with this sort? Anyone know what kind of lumber to
expect from this sort of tree?
(sounds weird I know - but that's what I gots!)
thanks! - Schroeder
Post also to rec.gardens
Toller wrote:
> It it were properly maintained, the wood is whatever the graft was. But
> they will frequently send up suckers, and the suckers will be the root
> stock. The suckers should have been cut down, but if they weren't, they
> could have taken over.
>
> So, the answer is, who knows.
Schroeder wrote:
> Hopefully someone can help me with this question....
>
> West coast - I have a walnut orchard (abandoned for last 10 years) with 100
> or so black walnut trees. As I understand the root stock planted some 80
> years ago was BW and then an English walnut grafted on to that to produce
> the orchard. Over the years, the trees appear to have reverted to all Black
> Walnut. At least that's what they look like, bark, leaves etc...with an
> occasional limb that is clearly English Walnut.
>
> So I don't want to mill until I have more info on what I'll get ...Does
> anyone have experience with this sort? Anyone know what kind of lumber to
> expect from this sort of tree?
>
> (sounds weird I know - but that's what I gots!)
I think you have what is called Claro Walnut.
DAGS on 'Claro Walnut'.
The trees are biological chimera, organisms with cells from
different species -- e.g. 'Frankentrees'.
--
FF
On Fri, 14 Oct 2005 06:08:05 -0700, "Schroeder" <f@f> wrote:
>Hopefully someone can help me with this question....
>
>West coast - I have a walnut orchard (abandoned for last 10 years) with 100
>or so black walnut trees. As I understand the root stock planted some 80
>years ago was BW and then an English walnut grafted on to that to produce
>the orchard. Over the years, the trees appear to have reverted to all Black
>Walnut. At least that's what they look like, bark, leaves etc...with an
>occasional limb that is clearly English Walnut.
>
>So I don't want to mill until I have more info on what I'll get ...Does
>anyone have experience with this sort? Anyone know what kind of lumber to
>expect from this sort of tree?
>
>(sounds weird I know - but that's what I gots!)
>
>thanks! - Schroeder
>
you may find that the greatest value is in the root balls. expect the
black walnut rooy balls to be wildly figured and huge.
"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
> >you may find that the greatest value is in the root balls.
>
> Strictly it's the root crown (above the root ball itself). The height
> for felling a walnut is higher than for a typical tree, just so you
> don't put the chainsaw through the very best part of it. You can lose a
> _lot_ of the value of a good quality walnut by having it felled by
> someone who isn't familiar with felling walnuts.
With an orchard that old, he may be able to retire and cut just one or two a
year to feed the shop habit.
That can't be stressed enough to someone who owns an orchard and is not
familiar with the economics of figured walnut. I've seen one in the back of
a pickup truck going for $3K, and it was small.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/17/05
In article <[email protected]>, "Schroeder" <f@f>
wrote:
> (sounds weird I know - but that's what I gots!)
I don't believe it's all that weird. I know a fellow here in Oregon who
has a few walnuts left over from an orchard with trees configured just
as yours are: American Black Walnut rootstock with English Walnut tops.
Only thing is that the tops show a combination of both - most branches
appear to leaf out as Black Walnut while a few appear to be English. His
trees are about 80-100 years old. I've seen them myself so know it's a
true phenomenon.
--
Owen Lowe
The Fly-by-Night Copper Company
__________
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
Corporate States of America and to the
Republicans for which it stands, one nation,
under debt, easily divisible, with liberty
and justice for oil."
- Wiley Miller, Non Sequitur, 1/24/05
On Fri, 14 Oct 2005 12:12:09 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>you may find that the greatest value is in the root balls.
Strictly it's the root crown (above the root ball itself). The height
for felling a walnut is higher than for a typical tree, just so you
don't put the chainsaw through the very best part of it. You can lose a
_lot_ of the value of a good quality walnut by having it felled by
someone who isn't familiar with felling walnuts.
If it's small enough, and you have the space, some people don;t fell
them at all but lop the branches, cut the roots and then winch the whole
trunk over, root crown and all. This isn't a task for the unskilled or
unequipped.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Post also to rec.gardens
>
>
> Toller wrote:
>> It it were properly maintained, the wood is whatever the graft was. But
>> they will frequently send up suckers, and the suckers will be the root
>> stock. The suckers should have been cut down, but if they weren't, they
>> could have taken over.
>>
>> So, the answer is, who knows.
>
Why not get in touch with your local forestry agent or at least the county
extension service ....