# Black Walnut?



## tree md (Mar 26, 2009)

I don't mill but had a lady call and ask me what a Black Walnut is worth this morning (I own a tree service). I thought she was trying to get me to come remove her tree for the wood. I told her that most mills will not take urban wood because of the risk of foreign objects in the wood. I told her she might find someone with their own homemade mill who would be interested in the wood but if she was trying to have a tree removed and sell the wood she might not be very successful. She finally told me she had somebody interested in the wood (after wasting several minutes of my time on the phone while fishing). I told her that I am not a logger and don't own a saw mill and have no idea how much it would be worth. I told her to ask the guy that wanted it what it was worth to him. She promptly hung up the phone. 

I am curious though, how much is a Black Walnut worth to someone who would mill it?


----------



## SilverBox (Mar 26, 2009)

I wouldn't pay for a yard tree or any other one for that matter. I pretty much lose money when I mill wood I get for free .


----------



## tree md (Mar 26, 2009)

SilverBox said:


> I wouldn't pay for a yard tree or any other one for that matter. I pretty much lose money when I mill wood I get for free .



That's what I figured. I would think that someone would be doing her a favor by removing the tree for the wood. I figured she had someone who would do that and probably got to thinking she might be able to chisel some money out of him for the wood. I have had people try to get me to remove wood for the value of the logs and it kind of aggravates me when that happens. That's why I was a little short with her on the phone.


----------



## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2009)

0$ thats it tom trees


----------



## Backwood (Mar 26, 2009)

I would come get the log if she had it on the ground but wouldnt cut it or pay for it. Log prices vary a lot depending where you are at. For instance I watched that show about mule logging and seems like I remember them getting 1.25bf for their log at the mill, there is a guy nearby here that will sell walnut already sawed for 1.00. Around here I would think .50 bf is what I would pay for a good log. Its all about location.


----------



## BlueRider (Mar 27, 2009)

You sure that wasn't $125/k?


----------



## Freehand (Mar 27, 2009)

BlueRider said:


> You sure that wasn't $125/k?



+1:agree2:


----------



## Works4me (Mar 27, 2009)

tree md said:


> I don't mill but had a lady call and ask me what a Black Walnut is worth this morning (I own a tree service). I thought she was trying to get me to come remove her tree for the wood. I told her that most mills will not take urban wood because of the risk of foreign objects in the wood. I told her she might find someone with their own homemade mill who would be interested in the wood but if she was trying to have a tree removed and sell the wood she might not be very successful. She finally told me she had somebody interested in the wood (after wasting several minutes of my time on the phone while fishing). I told her that I am not a logger and don't own a saw mill and have no idea how much it would be worth. I told her to ask the guy that wanted it what it was worth to him. She promptly hung up the phone.
> 
> I am curious though, how much is a Black Walnut worth to someone who would mill it?



In years past I think people heard of high prices paid for veneer Walnut logs. This leads people to believe all large Walnut trees are worth a lot of money. IMHO


----------



## SuperDuty335 (Mar 27, 2009)

BlueRider said:


> You sure that wasn't $125/k?



$1250/mbf. I saw the show as well. He sold some red oak, walnut and ash with an average of around $0.65/bf.


----------



## Sawyer Rob (Mar 27, 2009)

SuperDuty335 said:


> $1250/mbf. I saw the show as well. He sold some red oak, walnut and ash with an average of around $0.65/bf.



And they weren't yard tree's...

Rob


----------



## woodshop (Mar 28, 2009)

I was just offered a 32" dia black walnut log, as well as a 20" dia that were both dropped in a neighbors yard. I know for a fact that the larger tree does have some hardware in it because I can see it coming out of the side of the tree but nothing I can't work around and still get some 7 ft long boards. He was going to cut it up and sell it for firewood, which goes for around $200/cord here. A cord of wood is VERY roughly 1200 bd ft, which at $200 a cord equates to around 16 cents a bd ft. I told him I would mill the log and pay him 16 cents for every bd ft I took away and he was happy with that. Quick and dirty estimates are about 500 bd ft of some pretty premium walnut after I cut out the metal parts of the log. That means I'll be paying the guy around $80 for that 500 bd ft. If it was oak or maple, or smaller logs that had lots of knots I wouldn't pay anything, as my time milling it is worth something to me. For premium grade cherry or walnut boards though, I'll gladly pay 16 cents a foot. That way he doesn't lose any money from the firewood he would be getting from it, and I get some nice black walnut for my woodshop at 16 cents ( plus my time and equipment) that would cost me over 3 bucks a ft even from an Amish mill. This is one of the few times I will actually pay for wood.


----------



## dingeryote (Mar 29, 2009)

tree md said:


> I don't mill but had a lady call and ask me what a Black Walnut is worth this morning (I own a tree service). I thought she was trying to get me to come remove her tree for the wood. I told her that most mills will not take urban wood because of the risk of foreign objects in the wood. I told her she might find someone with their own homemade mill who would be interested in the wood but if she was trying to have a tree removed and sell the wood she might not be very successful. She finally told me she had somebody interested in the wood (after wasting several minutes of my time on the phone while fishing). I told her that I am not a logger and don't own a saw mill and have no idea how much it would be worth. I told her to ask the guy that wanted it what it was worth to him. She promptly hung up the phone.
> 
> I am curious though, how much is a Black Walnut worth to someone who would mill it?





Nuz and I just took down a nice fat old black Walnut for firewood. Found evidence of verdigris from a bullet but no nails. Would have been a good veneer tree. Darn pretty when noodled up.

I had called a friend who runs a Mill full time and asked if he wanted it before we butchered it, and just trade firewood for it.
He laughed. Hauling the tree out and then hauling the firewood our way would eat up his profit margin.

The market really is tanked, and hardwoods are at or below BTU value around here.

It's a damn shame.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


----------



## BlueRider (Mar 29, 2009)

dingeryote said:


> Nuz and I just took down a nice fat old black Walnut for firewood. Found evidence of verdigris from a bullet but no nails. Would have been a good veneer tree. Darn pretty when noodled up.
> 
> I had called a friend who runs a Mill full time and asked if he wanted it before we butchered it, and just trade firewood for it.
> He laughed. Hauling the tree out and then hauling the firewood our way would eat up his profit margin.
> ...



Its the proverbial catch 22. Evryone needs money for gas food and rent and work is in increasingly short supply. But at the same time with hardwood prices so low it would be a geat time to stock up because at some point the price will go up again. 

Even as a business it would be a great time to stock up on green hardwood because by the time the wood is dry the price shuld be back up plus the wood will be worth more because it is dry.

the catch is finding the money to be able to do this plus finding the money to survive. this is becomeing the situation with me continuing to mill walnut in the orchard I have access to. Each time out costs me $30 is gas and oil for my saws and fuel for my truck plus I like to use concrete pier blocks and presure treated 4x4 to stack my wood on which costs $45/2 logs.


----------



## nutfarmer223 (Apr 27, 2009)

*Black Walnut trees*

I have 4 acres of black walnut trees... not yard trees, and have been well pruned. hoping to sell them as veneer trees, they were planted just over 15 years ago... some of the larger ones are approaching 10 to 12 inches in diameter... my questions are what are they worth and how big in diameter do they need to be b4 they can be harvested?


----------



## trax (Apr 27, 2009)

From what I've seen a 10 to 12"walnut is mostly white sapwood. Give them another 35 years


----------



## Sawyer Rob (Apr 28, 2009)

trax said:


> From what I've seen a 10 to 12"walnut is mostly white sapwood. Give them another 35 years



+1 AT LEAST 35 more years...

Rob


----------



## Backwoods (Apr 29, 2009)

When they get up around 18"-24" dbh (diameter at breast height) then they will have some value. As they are now they make good firewood, but not good lumber. Keep managing them for straight clear long logs over the next few decades and they will be worth selling then.


----------

