Wow, how long can this Walnut last, anyway?!!

[Woody Stover]

I found this top up off the ground. It was there about 24 years. I'll get a pic of the stump next time I'm out there. Does Walnut contain some kind of Moon Dust that suspends time, like a BK stove does??
In the back row is a little Dogwood and Mulberry, much of it ready to burn.

 

[Thistle]

Pretty common for Black Walnut heartwood.Its one of our most decay resistant native hardwoods.Years ago when it was so plentiful the early settlers in midwest farm country used it for split rail fences,round posts,bottom sill plates & any structural beams/timbers at ground level used in house/barn timber frame construction.I've seen some beams well over 100 yrs old with sound hearts,except for a few cracks/checks over time from drying out.

 

[Pallet Pete]

If got a black walnut beam in my house which was built sometime in the 1890's. there is no rot to be found !

Pete

 

[Woody Stover]

Found this info. Surprised to see that these were highly decay-resistant....they don't have to be dense woods: Catalpa, Black Cherry (quick-rotting sapwood though. ) Sassafras I had heard about.

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn153.pdf

 

[Paulywalnut]

I used some BL for base pieces in a cord. It sat for 5 years on the ground. Heartwood was as dry as a bone after I split it and it sat a few days.
I still would replace all my 25 or 30 BLs for oak or locust for sure.

 

[Woody Stover]

I used some BL for base pieces in a cord. It sat for 5 years on the ground. Heartwood was as dry as a bone after I split it and it sat a few days.

I'm using dead Sass poles as sleepers to stack on. It'll be interesting to see how long they hold up.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That's good stuff Woody. Off the ground, many trees will keep that long. I'm wondering though, does that dogwood bark?

 

[Woody Stover]

That's good stuff Woody. Off the ground, many trees will keep that long. I'm wondering though, does that dogwood bark?

Looking forward to burning it. I've read here that it smells great, and I can believe it based on what the bucked log smelled like.
Even some that was in contact with the ground was still solid!
I'm ashamed to admit it but I debarked the Dogwood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I'll try to remember when I finally get around to stacking and get a few pictures of that 10 year old white oak we got. It was laying on the ground a minimum of 10 years but it could have been 12 years according to a neighbor. 99% of it was good.

 

[ScotO]

Black walnut heartwood lasts for a very long time....there is something in the sap that keeps critters at bay.....
We had some MASSIVE catalpas around our home that we removed many years ago. When I was digging the footer for the fireplace chase a couple years back I hit several roots, and they looked like they were preserved perfectly. Even though the trees have been gone for over a decade or more now....

 

[Thistle]

Juglone,a chemical in the roots,bark,leaves,husks from the fruit & the wood itself.Some plants do quite well around or near Black Walnut such as bluegrass,but others such as tomatoes & apples are stunted & even killed by the leaching into the soil of that substance. Rain drip from the crown can be a problem even.

Any old walnut trees near the edge of a corn field will cause stunting of the first several rows.I'll use the shavings/noodles from any native wood for garden mulch,even White Oak with the tannins,but not Black Walnut.That is used only on paths away from any plants.Also walnut shavings/sawdust is dangerous as livestock bedding,can cause severe problems with horses.It sure smells great as a firestarter though.......

 

[TradEddie]

I'm using dead Sass poles as sleepers to stack on. It'll be interesting to see how long they hold up.

Thanks for the tip, I have several sassafras saplings that did a great job of filling in the gaps after a microburst hit my property (see avatar), but now that some tulip and hickory have grown up, it's time to cull the sassafras and let the others grow to warm me in my retirement.

TE

 

[Ashful]

If got a black walnut beam in my house which was built sometime in the 1890's. there is no rot to be found !

While extending one of my fireplace hearths to accommodate the second Jotul Firelight last summer, I also found a Walnut floor joist. I got ya' beat, though... this one was set in 1773. Seems the powder post beetles left it alone, while they ate the chit out of the oak joists!

 

[osagebow]

Looking forward to burning it. I've read here that it smells great, and I can believe it based on what the bucked log smelled like.
Even some that was in contact with the ground was still solid!
I'm ashamed to admit it but I debarked the Dogwood.

I think they make an electronic collar that does that...maybe wrap it around the log for a week or so?

 

[Woody Stover]

I think they make an electronic collar that does that...maybe wrap it around the log for a week or so?

Now I am filled with regret, remorse and misgivings. Thanks.

 

[Woody Stover]

Core of the stump has rotted out some but most is still solid.