Selling Black Walnut Logs

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bsquared11

New Member
Jan 5, 2011
5
Westminster, MD
I have 2 black walnut trees I am looking to take down. Both have over 20 feet of straight section between the base and the first limb. The smaller one is about 17 inches in diameter, the larger one is about 20.

I have been told they are worth some money, but I don't know how to go about selling them. Does anyone have insight or experience with this.
 
Contact your County or District Forester,most State's Department Of Natural Resources have at least one.They can give you all kinds of valuable info regarding harvesting and/or selling your timber.
 
You will get the best price if they are veneer quality. The stump and root wood is worth money too, if you can get them out of the ground.
 
Are they in your yard? If so, they may not be worth much.
 
In yard cut for firewood!! Sisu is right if they are veneer could bring good $ if not don't expect much you only have two trees.
 
I just sold a few myself. As noted above, lawn or barn lot walnuts aren't worth fooling with. Personally, had my best friend not been cutting an adjoining farm I'd never have cut them. I was able to cut and yard & when his walnut buyer was next door he came and bid on mine. I sold the butt logs and one second, but his bid was only $1.25/ft on the remaining seconds so I passed. I'll have those band sawed and sell as lumber, or, more than likely just buck & split them. BTW, that's the best way to actually make oney on less than a truck load of walnut, by selling it as lumber.

Here's a couple of the ones I sold:

walnutlogs020.jpg


Heading out with the first load:

walnutlogs014.jpg


walnutlogs013.jpg


And at the yard next door where Graham was taking them off my trailer and loading on the buyers truck:

walnutlogs015.jpg


walnutlogs017.jpg


As note above, the truth about a few walnuts is that most will yield the seller more BTUs than dollars. Here's where a great deal of mine wound up even with the knowledge and a buyer willing to bid:

walnutlogs019.jpg
 
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Like the others said, if they are 'yard birds' then use 'em for firewood. If they are 'woods' trees, with all the more you have it may pay you to get 'em band milled and either use them your self for some projects or sell the lumber. I milled a HUGE walnut tree this spring and have the wood drying in my garage as we speak, wife already has visions of a grand walnut kitchen table down the road....... I should have sold it! :p
 
Some 'yard' trees such as Black Cherry or Black Walnut while not good enough for 8 or 12 foot lengths of lumber can be worth as much or more per board foot when cut into short thick square blocks & slabs for bowl turning & carving once sold on Ebay or Craigslist. Dont ask me how I know this. ;)
 
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