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Black Walnut Subspecies?

Started by YellowHammer, July 17, 2015, 11:47:30 PM

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YellowHammer

Every now and then, I run into a type of walnut that is noticeably different from the majority of black walnut logs around here.  It has a fairly smooth, scaly flat bark and a very small sap ring.  The usual walnut in this area has a much deeper, ridged bark, and a decent sized sap ring.  Folks around here call the smooth walnut with no sap ring a "true" walnut, or an "old growth" walnut, and these are prized and fetch a higher price on the log.
Here is a couple pictures of some walnut logs I picked up today.  The "old growth" walnut and the normal walnut are both in the picture for comparison and the differences in the bark and the thickness of the sapwood is very visible.  Can someone tell me more about the two different walnut logs?  Are they a subspecies? 
Thanks


YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

sandsawmill14

i have a log like the smooth barked on that came in with a small load of walnut (about 1100 ft doyle)  :) but they said it was black locust. i questioned it but they said they were sure . our locust bark is real rough. i guess i will know when i saw into it because these logs have been cut for about 2 years :-\
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

Ianab

What's the spacing of the annual rings?

It's usually a certain number of rings of sapwood.  Say it's 10 years for example. A young and vigorous tree may have 5 annual rings to the inch. That's 2" of sapwood.  A mature and slower growing tree might have 15 rings per inch, so only 2/3" of sapwood.

What it really means from the commercial point of view is that the narrow sapwood tree was due to be harvested. It was mature, and leaving it another 20 years wont grow you much more wood. The wide sapwood log might have been better left to the next harvest as it was actively growing more volume, and that would turn to more heart wood over time.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

WDH

There is only one native species in the East.  It is natural variation in a good way. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

YellowHammer

Quote from: WDH on July 18, 2015, 07:14:20 AM
There is only one native species in the East.  It is natural variation in a good way. 
Definately a good variation, I can get about 4 or more decent boards per log, at $6 a Bdft for the finished lumber, these logs make me at least a hundred dollars more apiece for the same size Doyle scale log.

I'll buck them this weekend, maybe even saw them up if I get to it.  I'll count the rings and see what it shows, see what you guys think.  I'm very interested in this because now that I've seen enough of these, I can spot the tree's bark characteristics both laying in the pile in bulk in the log yard when I'm sorting and buying, or in the woods if I'm harvesting.  It's a good point to leave the vigorous ones growing, and take these guys down.  Since decent walnut is so hard to get around here, these small sap ring logs are like a bonus.  I've never noticed any difference in the wood after it's been sawn, but I'll take a few pics.

YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WDH

Given what I have to go through to get any walnut logs, you are doing good to be those logs.   
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Cazzhrdwd

Its pure pleasure sawing premium walnut and cherry!
96 Woodmizer LT40Super  Woodmizer 5 head moulder

mesquite buckeye

I have lots of walnut. smiley_smug01

Missouri has billions in walnuts.  ;D Sounds like the Trumpster. ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) :snowball:

Seriously, it might be a good idea to see some of these trees in the woods. The ones that I have that look like the thin sapwood log are the trees that are getting suppressed by their neighbors and are on the way out. I'm guessing the smoother bark is a result of slower bark formation and the ridges weathering off faster than they form. ;D
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

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