Is this a viable tree

[imranindiana]

Hello all,

This is my first post. This black walnut tree did not leaf out this year. I suspected it's health when I saw light color on the bark during winter. I am a hobby wood worker and am interested in having this milled into lumber. Is the light color on bark indicating why it died and does it indicate decay or is the wood still viable?

Is there a preferable way to mill walnut? Unless I learn something here, I was thinking plain sawing so each board has end grain. BTW, it is 24" in diameter 4' above ground and I am guessing 40' to first branch.

Thanks for the feedback.

Well I have uploaded the two pictures but they do not show up in the album when I try to attach. So I will post now and try to figure out how to attach the pictures.

[mike_belben]

Look up thousand canker disease.   You may want to let an extension forestor know.  Black walnut is the holy grail of sawlogs.  Saving them is worth the effort.

[sandsawmill14]

welcome to the forum  8)

[paul case]

A tree that doesnt leaf out is probably dead. You can tell for sure by the small twigs on the tree. cut a few of them open with a pocket knife and if they are green inside it is still alive but if they are dry probably dead. Cut it down and mill it up. Salvage mission at that point. Get the good out of it.

Plain sawing walnut is how most walnut is sawn. I can get more fpr my walnut sawlogs than I can saw out of them  generally.

PC

[sandsawmill14]

here's your pics ;) 

 
you can go to your gallery and rotate your pics but it wouldnt let me

[treeslayer2003]

walnut is just leafing out here, and it may have a problem and waiting. if it just died it will be fine for another month.

[Ianab]

Certainly looks like it's worth sawing if you have the means to get it down / move the logs etc. One smallish tree doesn't have much "commercial" value, but for a hobby woodworker there is some pretty valuable wood to be recovered. Remember you will get "log run", which includes some sap wood, some good clear boards, and some lower grade / knotty boards from around the pith. All usable for various woodworking of course. 

Keep the crotch wood around where that first big branch come off, likely some interesting figure in that, and the limbs above would still make bowl and turning blanks if you do lathe work.

Have a read through the forum regarding how to end coat the logs and dry the lumber to get the best results. Walnut is a pretty forgiving wood to air dry, even if it takes a while, so you that in your favour.

[thechknhwk]

Looks like ash that has been hit by emerald ash borer.  Tell tale signs of top layer of bark popping off.

[central pa]

I think that might be an ash

[Ianab]

Ash or Walnut will be obvious once you take a chainsaw to it.

Ash is still a useful wood for the hobby woodworker type. Not as sought after as walnut, but still worth sawing.

[coxy]

I think that might be an ash

x2

[WDH]

Looks like ash to me too. 

[imranindiana]

Boy, glad I found you. What a helpful bunch. Thanks to all for helping with the pics and the responses.

It definitely, is a walnut - been picking up nuts for 17 yrs before mowing - . I have a lot of dead Ash trees due to EAB.

I looked up Thousands Cankers Disease (TCD). Will check with my local conservation society to learn more. Once it is down I can certainly check for it. They did find the beetle in southern Indiana in 2015. I hope it is not here, what a pest and loss. We have not recovered from EAB yet.

I am having the tree removed due to proximity to the house along with two Ash (one same size one considerably bigger). Is there a recommendation on sawing Ash. When we cleared the woods for house we did have some Ash milled and it was really pretty. The guy who milled it would basically create a square log (cant ?) and then mill thru. I am not found of cathedral grain so I do not necessarily like the boards that come from the outside. But I am open to suggestions.

I read up on sealing log ends here and on sawmill creek (i think). Anchorseal is apparently the best but it is quite expensive so for a few logs the suggestion of multiple coats of latex paint seems attractive to me. The guy who is going to mill said it is okay with him, even though many on forums said they like to have visible endgrain.

Thanks a bunch guys and will be in touch.

[paul case]

Covering the ends with sealer will not hurt for sawing. End grain doesnt make much difference to me when plain sawing. I generally will saw an opening face according to any defects on the bark. If there are no defects visible it will be ok however you saw it. Your bottom few logs will be like this. The logs from the top of the tree will be sawn by defects, limbs and such, but it may be mostly 2common lumber.

If it was a problem to need to see the log end grain, a 2'' cookie could be cut off and you would still be ok. If you dont seal the ends you may loose 3 inches of wood from each end depending on how long they sit and how hot it is before milling. Be sure to have them cut 6'' long anyway so boards can be squared up, but I bet you already know that.

That is a nice looking tree for logging. I would use it for making lumber. IMO it takes too long to grow than to waste them.
PC

[TKehl]

I am not found of cathedral grain so I do not necessarily like the boards that come from the outside.

If you don't like cathedral, than you may want to get it quarter sawn.  More time (and $) and you will need someone who understands how to pull that out with a mill.

http://summittforestproducts.com/education/sawingmethods/

(PS don't get into the rift versus quarter sawn debates.  It's a black hole from whence no one returns.  Part of the industry calls rift sawn based on angle of grain in the board and another part insists on the silly rift sawn diagram from the link above.   Just tell the sawyer quarter sawn and it should give you what your want.  ) 

[WDH]

If it is walnut, and it you slice a twig open lengthwise to expose the pith, the pioth of walnut is chambered with bark black dividers (septa).  Ash has a continuous pith.

Walnut has alternate branching.  Ash has opposite branching.  Cannot tell from the pic, ss the branching alternating or opposite?

[central pa]

That's funny first ash that I've heard of that gave nuts .not the first or last time I was wrong

[Brad_bb]

I've gone to see trees that the owner assured me was "definitely walnut".  After seeing it and saying it looked like an ash, they still insisted that it dropped walnuts.  After they had it cut and called me, I come and look and no question it's Ash.  I show them the light colored wood.  I then point to the small walnut 40 feet away and show them nuts on the ground below that.  Then they say... oh, I thought it was walnut.

Your pic looks like an Ash to me. The scaling bark is characteristic of emerald ash borer killed Ash.  My money is on Ash.

[mike_belben]

I had a forestor tell me one of my trees was a black walnut during winter.  I got all excited. culled everything around it.  Leafed out in spring..  Hickory! 

LoL

[NWP]

I'd get a different forester next time.

[mike_belben]

County forestor, free.  Ya get what ya pay for i guess!