walnut tree value

[porthos]

i have a walnut tree that is appx. 22 in. diameter. the main trunk is about 8 ft. high before the tree branches out. i want it gone. the question has is; does it have any value, so, that i might get it cut down for free. i don't want to pay someone that will charge me then sell the tree. there are no nails. my dad planted the tree around 1970. any thoughts??

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's probably worth a couple hundred bucks.
The trick is to find the person who is willing to pay for it.
Most of the saw-mill guys that I've run across aren't willing to pay, but they will offer you half of the lumber that they cut as payment.
If you are unable to cut it down yourself, due to buildings closeby or whatever, you'll be paying for that.

[06ackley]

I had one and found a guy that cut it down and hauled the brush for free if he could have the wood for lumber. I know he made money on it but I was happy having it gone for free

[JWFilips]

Call your local saw mills and tell them what you have! Black walnut is not something to trash or cut for firewood
I see you are from PA There are a lot of gunstock people in the Central PA Lewisburg section They would be interested.
http://www.18thcenturyartisanshow.com
This event is going on this weekend Go to the 2020 exhibitors link you will find a number of stock wood folks

[porthos]

i called a "forester" after i posted this thread. he handeled the sale of the timber at my gunclub. we got $48,000. he got $7,000 of that. seems like a lot but that's the going rate. anyway he said that the tree may be worth $200.00, but finding someone to cut it down and buy it might be tough. so, i'll make some calls and se if i can get a discount from someone who will cut it down and keep the tree for its wood value.

[MaryB]

Get it cut, take the 8' section to a sawmill and pay to get it cut up. Stack the boards in your garage attic area to dry for 2 years then sell it. That is what people around here do... I picked up some oak that way, it was 1/2 the price of the lumber yard! I had to sand it because it was still rough cut but that was fine. One of these days I need to get a planer for the pallet wood I salvage and use for small projects.

[RU shooter]

Yeah it's worth some cash but not enough for someone to come cut it down and haul it all away logs like that are mighty heavy and takes a proper equipment to lift it onto a trailer or truck bed most lumber /tree guys aren't gonna want to deal with all that for one tree

[trails4u]

I would think being in PA you could give it away for firewood.... I know that's somewhat sinful when it comes to walnut....but the BTUs in walnut are impressive, and anyone heating with wood would probably take it, given that it's easy to get to and you don't put too many constraints on them. If they can drive right to it, and you just let them take the burnable wood...you might get a bite.

[NSB]

Most places don't want trees in yards, fence rows, etc because most of them have nails and stuff in them. They're simply not worth the impact to the saw cutting them up. You can't even imagine the stuff they find inside these trees. I once saw one with a horse shoe inside of it. I've seen a lot with barbed wire and nails also.

[knifemaker]

This black walnut tree is well over 100 years old and just over 6 feet in dia. on the trunk. Some of the upper limbs are over 33 inches in dia. 20 years ago a buyer offered 15 thousand for the tree and was turn down. If it shows signs of dying, the tree will be sold at that time. Companies that make wood veneer will pay higher prices for trees like this one then gun stock makers will. That offer 20 years ago was from a gun stock maker.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Craigslist here usually has someone offering to come cut your dangerous trees down for free; Look there maybe?

[jonp]

If your going to cut it down get a cheap saw wood mill like a Haddon and make the planks your self. I use mine to cut planks, 6 x 6's etc at my camp. After you have the planks, stack them correctly and start looking for a buyer. Custom furniture makers, gun stock, counter makers, etc. all might be interested in them

[richhodg66]

Not to change the subject of the thread too much, but I'd love a big walnut tree like that in my yard. They do grow here, but not real common and most of the trees in Kansas aren't particularly nice or attractive (cottonwoods and hackberry). What problem is it causing if I may ask?

[Tonto]

Lots of good advice here, some not so much but I'll take a shot. One tree in a yard is a tough sell to the commercial crowd, glad to see someone mention the probability of nails or other tramp metal embedded in the tree. Veneer logs are the best of the best, long, straight and clear of defect, not even sure the photo of the tree from another post would be veneer quality. The bole and even large limbs would make nice boards, the portable mill owner who would give you lumber in trade is a good idea and a lot of folks have these mills and are in that business. If you know any lathe turners, they would be happy to pick through the trimmings for bowl blanks and turning squares they would mill. If this is out in the open, easy to cut down, as mentioned, if in a potential hazard location with buildings and/or utilities nearby, it will be $1000 and up perhaps. Walnut has an interesting property where it uses chemical warfare to outcompete and kill plants that try and grow nearby (allelopathy). It can be beyond the dripline of the canopy. Boards that contain the white sapwood can be darkened by steaming. The lumber is valuable but to get it in the condition to use it takes awhile or costs with kiln drying. No shame in using some for firewood, you gotta do what you gotta do. Wish I lived closer.

[Wayne Smith]

Walnut trees poison the ground around them and drop lots of nuts that stain the ground, driveway, and anything they touch. Yeah, you can make a nice fabric stain from the nut shells, but when it's not were you want it... . I had a big white oak tree cut down, two 13' sections, called a sawyer who backed his sawmill in my back yard, checked for metal and chainsawed some out, and sawed it up. I got in excess of $2000 of lumber out of it, sawed 5/4 as much quartersawn as he could. Stickered it on my back porch, let it set for two years, and I have a planer. Took it to a local lumber yard to get it rough planed and one side cut square and I've been using it ever since. This was five or more years ago.

[waksupi]

Check with furniture shops. Dad sold one in our front yard for over $1000. That was in the early '60's.

[country gent]

Buying a standing tree is a bigger risk than logs or lumber. Years back we took down a silver maple that was over 3' in dia from dads yard. Plan was to cut limb and haul all that was usable to the mill for wood Dropped it and found out the trunk was hollow, only about 3" thick ring of wood. When they buy a standing tree its a risk. a yard tree or one from a fence row even more so.Chains, fencing and staples, odd parts all may be in them. Seen one trunk from a yard that had a small cast iron frying pan in it.

[skeettx]

Watching with interest
Mike

[historicfirearms]

I used to work as a veneer buyer a few years back. I would cringe whenever a land owner would call me for a yard tree. Our mill wouldn't buy them for rist of embedded metal. We would resell all the walnut we got to a bigger sawmill. He would have walnut auctions occasionally and I was there for one. The majority of buyers were from China. I know logs but walnut is a specialty. They can go for big bucks for things that would be considered firewood in hard maple. I would suggest hiring someone to cut the tree down for you if you are unable to yourself. Then call around to some bigger sawmills and see if they will come out and look at what you have. If they will buy a yard tree you may be looking at a few thousand dollars if the wood is nice. Being the tree is around 40 years old and 22 inch diameter it was a fast grown tree with wide growth rings. That really hurts the value so I wouldn't get my hopes up much. Walnut is big business in your area so go online and find some sawmills that specialize in it and ask them before you do anything.

[bangerjim]

Here is AZ people pay $8-12/bdft for good walnut, 4/4 and 6/4 planed back & front. Finding a sawyer to cut id down and then mill it is you biggest problem. Walnut back in PA is not as scarce as out here in the Desert SW. I hauled 1,000 bdft of prime 4/4 and 6/4 walnut that was from a tree I played in as a kid in Iowa. Cost me only $1.50/bdft for milling. I was hauling furniture anyway so it just laid on the bottom of the truck!

Many mills will not take the risk of embedded nails and screws in unknown logs. Those big saws they use cost much more than that tree is worth to get resharpened! My guy went over the tree with a professional metal detector but still found nails 5 and 6 inches inside the tree I remember driving in to put steps to my tree house. Fortunately they were rusted away and did not cause any damage to the saw.

Check around.

banger