Declining Butternut

[JeffL]

Did some pruning for an extended family member, and now she wants me back for more. Thin out a stand of small Hemlocks, and she hates picking up the mess left behind by the Ash, Black Walnut, and Butternut in her backyard. Upbranched the Ash and Walnut a bit, but dont have enough experience to go up that Butternut without some extra input.

Its putting on foliage, but very sparsely, looks like several of the main limbs in the tree are just about dead, but still a few likely candidates for tie in points. She just wants me to take off a few of the larger lower limbs to "trim it up a bit". I'm just not familiar enough with Butternut to know whether or not its a weak/strong, soft/hard, stiff/flexible wood, and whether I go up it when its obviously in decline.

Any info is greatly appreciated.

And one more thing; I put my brandy new MS200T to work and was happy as a kid in a candy store ripping through that Black Walnut.

 

[JeffL]

Some of you must have climbed a butternut or 2 in your day......

 

[pdqdl]

Nope...

Never seen one. If I have, I didn't know it.

 

[pdqdl]

NOW I'm interested!

My favorite plant book, Steyermark's Flora of Missouri puts that tree as Juglans cinerea, which is [botanically] cheek and jowl with the common black walnut, Juglans nigra. The book states that "the wood is highly valued for its grain and durability..."

I would expect it to be a somewhat heavy wood when green, and middling-strong when dead. Probably rather resistant to decay, as the trees contain chemicals (named after the genus) that keep insects at bay.

My book also tells me that it is found in Missouri on the eastern 7/8ths of the state, and that probably explains why I have never seen one.

By the way, did you know? Both the walnut and butternut trees were used by the indians to boild down to make syrup, much like maple trees?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

They get a canker, butternut canker. The fungal name is long, I've allways got to look it up. I've called it SCJ in the past, but my catholic friends have objected


This is a search on butternut canker.
http://www.dogpile.com/dogpile/ws/r...e/iq=true/zoom=off/_iceUrlFlag=7?_IceUrl=true

 

[NeTree]

Let's not forget that roasted butternuts are edible... and quite tasty!

 

[Nailsbeats]

Did some pruning for an extended family member, and now she wants me back for more. Thin out a stand of small Hemlocks, and she hates picking up the mess left behind by the Ash, Black Walnut, and Butternut in her backyard. Upbranched the Ash and Walnut a bit, but dont have enough experience to go up that Butternut without some extra input.

Its putting on foliage, but very sparsely, looks like several of the main limbs in the tree are just about dead, but still a few likely candidates for tie in points. She just wants me to take off a few of the larger lower limbs to "trim it up a bit". I'm just not familiar enough with Butternut to know whether or not its a weak/strong, soft/hard, stiff/flexible wood, and whether I go up it when its obviously in decline.

Any info is greatly appreciated.

And one more thing; I put my brandy new MS200T to work and was happy as a kid in a candy store ripping through that Black Walnut.

My property is full of Butternut. It is great for woodworking and I have some nice candidates for such.

I climbed a good size one, 24" or so, the other day to trim the dead limbs off. They are not a very hard wood, kind of in between, and when they die pieces of bark will start coming off and the existing wood is rotten and light, lacking density and strength. They are dangerous to climb in my opinion.

When I climb mine I make sure I pay extra attention to my tie in points and stay away from shock loading. If you need more info, let me know. Good luck.

 

[(WLL)]

butternut/ white walnut

we use to have them all around here, but the canker is destroying them like the plague. i have herd crushed fruits were once used to poison the fish, and the bark yields useful drugs the wood is weak, soft and light. should be craned out when ever passable but can still be safely climbed and rigged down. its lighter in color and much less valuable than its relative the black walnut. from what i remember they cut and fell/feel like tulip poplar but only get about 75-80ft tall at most round here. i do like to carve with this wood as it is worked easy and shines like glass after a good polish

 

[oldirty]

i have climbed the butternut.

be sur to cut your pins, she likes to peel on ya. rign off a nice chunk and she was following the face cut just nice like when the rope held it for a sec so she grabbed the side of that hinge and ripped down the stem, tore off at my flipline and smothered my foot. good thing i was wearing spikes and ST boots, thats for sure.

moral of that story? cut some pins if you taking anything big. like an inch below your face cut both sides.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Good point OD. That stuff though weak, does hang on to it's ability to peel.

 

[treemandan]

I have NEVER come across that tree. Hickory is about the worst but it can be blown out easily and can be great to work with as long as its not to windy. Slow Hinge, take it easy, cut the pins or kerfs.( that's a song)
The first time I saw a guy rip one into his lanyard I said to myself" self, that is not something you want to do, ever!" And I never have , except once.
A leaning walnut got me pretty good but I was able to kep the revs up so it came off and only hurt a few days. I think I hit a burl or a knot or an old heal wound and it held on. It was only about 8 inches in dia. where I was cutting, I did use a very narrow notch( I would have just jumped it but I had to move it a little) but I was taking half a 40 tree that had a severe lean.
It squz me pretty good though, now I say " self, that is something you never want to do again, ever!" So far its working. How do it go? HANG ON HICKORY! HICKORY HANG ON! I forget the rest.
I learned to climb by reading this book that list certain songs for a particular techniques, without it I would never remember.

 

[pdqdl]

Uh oh. Need some help...

i have climbed the butternut.

be sur to cut your pins, she likes to peel on ya. rign off a nice chunk and she was following the face cut just nice like when the rope held it for a sec so she grabbed the side of that hinge and ripped down the stem, tore off at my flipline and smothered my foot. good thing i was wearing spikes and ST boots, thats for sure.

moral of that story? cut some pins if you taking anything big. like an inch below your face cut both sides.

I'm afraid you're using some terms I don't know. What do you mean "cut your pins" ?

 

[costello]

leave a small collar at each cut for dieback

Some of you must have climbed a butternut or 2 in your day......

cut and use the same principal, as with ash, never trust any walnut without some kind of limb test.

 

[oldirty]

I'm afraid you're using some terms I don't know. What do you mean "cut your pins" ?

i'll do my best at describing what i mean but i lack terminology and the proper way to explain it.

here goes.

you just made a face cut. now you are facing the tree on the opposite side of the face cut (other side of the wood). picture a clock. face cut is at 12. your head is at 6. cut your pins at 3 and 9.

before your back cut make a "relief" cut on both sides of the face cut about an inch below said face cut. about an inch deep too. any deeper and you are going to be compromising your holding wood if your cutting on something big. if its small then yo dont need to go too deep. all your trying to do with this cut is to remove the possibility of the wood peeling down the stem and sucking you in.

hope this helps.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Another way of putting it you make 2 opposing curfs perpendicular to the apes of your hinge, on the outside of the log.

I learned it as cutting ears, since the notch is a face cut

 

[ClimbinArbor]

Hey treemandan

what is the name of that book.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Another way of putting it you make 2 opposing curfs perpendicular to the apes of your hinge, on the outside of the log.

I learned it as cutting ears, since the notch is a face cut

That's how I learned it too. Hey Oldirty, what does "pins" stand for? Personal insurance or peel insurance is all I could come up with.

 

[oldirty]

Another way of putting it you make 2 opposing curfs perpendicular to the apes of your hinge, on the outside of the log.

I learned it as cutting ears, since the notch is a face cut

and there he is. always with the answer! thanks for the back up with that one.

That's how I learned it too. Hey Oldirty, what does "pins" stand for? Personal insurance or peel insurance is all I could come up with.

ummmm i have no idea. pin was what it was called when i was taught, so i still use it.

 

[treemandan]

cut and use the same principal, as with ash, never trust any walnut without some kind of limb test.

Never a problem with either if you chose the right type of cut. Never ' pinned' that but its good to remember that it will make things go easier if you do. What kind of limb test you talking about?

 

[pdqdl]

i'll do my best at describing what i mean but i lack terminology and the proper way to explain it.

here goes.

you just made a face cut. now you are facing the tree on the opposite side of the face cut (other side of the wood). picture a clock. face cut is at 12. your head is at 6. cut your pins at 3 and 9.

before your back cut make a "relief" cut on both sides of the face cut about an inch below said face cut. about an inch deep too. any deeper and you are going to be compromising your holding wood if your cutting on something big. if its small then yo dont need to go too deep. all your trying to do with this cut is to remove the possibility of the wood peeling down the stem and sucking you in.

hope this helps.

Thank you. I thought that was what you were meaning, but I have never heard it called that way.

JPS: I also have heard it called the "ears".

To all who responded: I have never seen the need for that type of cut, although I understand the purpose. I suppose someday I will come across that problem. I don't think peeling down the side would ever be a problem unless the face cut was not deep enough or if the tree broke the hinge off sideways.

Comments?