Walnut
Commercial Value:
We rate the walnut as a first class tree based on its high demand in current markets. The wood is heavy, hard and chocolate brown with beautiful grain. Walnut is a prized wood for making flooring, gunstock, furniture and veneer.
Benefit to Forest:
Although they have a high commercial value, walnut trees are not as equally valuable to wildlife. The leaves are not often consumed by herbivores, albeit occasionally by white-tailed deer during winter. However, walnut trees grow quickly and very tall making them great shade trees. The nuts are a favorite food of squirrels, especially red and grey squirrels.
Walnut Varieties
You will come across both white walnut and black walnut trees. The bark on mature white walnut trees will have white vertical stripes. The fruit of a black walnut tree is more rounded than that of a white walnut. Furthermore, black walnut trees have similar leaves but with more leaflets. White walnut is also popularly known as a butternut tree.