Is walnut any good

[joann]

My neighbor had a big black walnut tree come down and said I could have everything but the trunk. how does this rate as firewood.

Thank you

 

[jeff_t]

Middle of the road as far as BTUs go. Wouldn't turn it down if it was free and easy. Get it split and stacked now. Maybe you can burn some end of next winter.

 

[Danno77]

My neighbor had a big black walnut tree come down and said I could have everything but the trunk. how does this rate as firewood.

Thank you

I love black walnut. not the highest BTUs, but I love the smell of it freshly split (and it generally splits well). It makes pretty wood for the rack next to your stove/fireplace. Black Walnut is my favorite. tell him how much you appreciate the firewood, because he's probably like every other Black walnut tree owner. they think the trunk is gonna score them big bucks from someone who will make furniture or guitars out of it, then after a million interested parties come and stare at it and say how they might do it, the tree owner is left with a 4 year old trunk of a tree that they can't get rid of. Don't get me wrong, a perfect trunk is worth some money, but you gotta find the right buyer at the right time to sell them....

 

[gzecc]

I do like the smell when burning and processing. I however did not have the best drying experience with my BW. It took a long time to dry (my fault). When I get dry pieces it burns nicely. If I get it again I will split it smaller, and season it in a better location. I do sometimes feel bad burning such nice looking wood, but thats nothing new to for me! For me its a ancillary fuel, backup to locust, ash & oak.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I've been burning some walnut this season and must admit I'm a little disappointed with with it. I had hoped it would burn a little longer than the pine and fir I normally burn, but it seems to be right on par. Still I do like the smell of it when it's burning, but I only really get to smell it when I happen to be outside when I'm burning it. For that reason I have usually been burning it out in the shop stove. When I have a fire out in the shop it usually means I'm working outside more. Nasty wood to split, too many knots.

 

[Battenkiller]

I do sometimes feel bad burning such nice looking wood

Me, too. I've rescued plenty of it. Smells great when you're burning it, smells even better when you're turning it.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I usually will pick some Walnut up because of the aroma for some reason, but in the past the Walnut that I've burned kind of "charred" more than burning with a lively flame, even though it was seasoned. However, I had some Walnut this past season that ROCKED-it was a very solid Walnut tree, and seemed heavier than usual. I know where more is because I've been eyeing it up on the way to work; only trouble is it's at a pain in the ass spot up a hill-but I have a feeling that I'll get some more of it. But overall I rate Walnut so-so; not bad, not great except for this last tree.

 

[smokinj]

If its stright enough it goes the mill. To me it burns about like silver maple. Is the trunk being milled?

 

[Jags]

Arm load in - bucket of ash out. I find it to be a very high ash content wood.

 

[gzecc]

BW seems to get different reviews. It seems the trees are not all the same. I see a little more ash, but not considerably more.

 

[Superlite]

I burn a lot of Black Walnut we have them here like weeds, they are a nuisance and their roots make it hard to grow anything else. I find it burns well and seems to dry quickly for me. Although it always seems to have that dry wood "sound" when you bang a couple pieces together. As for the trunk not many people have good luck selling a trunk section to mill unless they take it to a sawmill. Most people around here just let you mill it for free or want a piece of lumber when you are done. Anyway if it's free it's for me when it comes to firewood. best luck

 

[wsorg]

Its not bad...between birch and elm.

 

[joann]

thank you for all the replies. It is free so I am going to take it. He says he hopes to sell the trunk. We will see

 

[Duetech]

bl walnut is about 20 million btu per seaseoned cord