What are black walnut trees good for?

Black walnut (Juglans nigra) is considered one of the most valuable trees native to North America. Its wood is valuable for furniture and cabinet making and its edible nuts are harvested for commercial sale.

Are black walnut trees a good investment?

Black walnut logs bring premium prices, and have since the 1700s, with single trees bringing up to $20,000. Bruce Thompson, author of “Black Walnut For Profit,” estimates a mature stand of black walnut trees can bring about $100,000 per acre in timber value alone.

What do black walnut trees do to your soil?

Black walnut always wins. It exudes a chemical called juglone from its roots into the soil that is toxic to many other plants and kills them, thereby reducing competition for resources. Juglone is also leached into the soil from rainwater coming in contact with fallen walnut leaves, branches and decaying fruits.

Why are black walnut trees bad?

Black walnut trees have a well-deserved reputation for making life difficult for gardeners because they release a toxic compound called juglone, which can adversely affect many kinds of plants. The roots are also toxic and juglone can persist in dead wood for years even after the tree is removed.

Can you eat walnuts from a black walnut tree?

Allow the freshly removed nutmeat to dry for a day before storing. Black walnuts can be enjoyed raw and have an interestingly sweet and earthy taste to them that goes great on top of desserts, such as ice cream or cupcakes.

Are black walnut trees good for wildlife?

Black walnuts are great trees for attracting birds and wildlife to the landscape. They host some 23 species of moths, including dagger moths, luna moths, and walnut caterpillar moths, many of which are consumed by songbirds including chickadees, bluebirds, nuthatches, wrens, and more.

How long does it take to grow a black walnut tree?

A black walnut tree is easy to grow from a nut. But to grow and produce nuts takes eight to 10 years. Squirrels help bury more walnuts on the property. Most are buried in the shade, which is a poor site.

How much does it cost to plant an acre of black walnut trees?

Unless family labor is used, it costs about a $22.00 per acre to plant the trees, assuming a cost of labor at $7 per hour. With the cultivated ground, equipment consists of only a shovel, making the actual planting cost per tree about 93 cents.

Do squirrels eat black walnuts?

The black walnut produces an edible nut that is encased in a thick green or brown husk. Many animals eat these walnuts including squirrels, turkeys, raccoons and bears. Black walnut trees often affect the kinds and densities of plants that grow around them.

What is the lifespan of a black walnut tree?

Black walnut grows slowly, maturing on good soils in about 150 years; it may have a life span of more than 250 years.

What do you do with black walnuts in your yard?

Once your walnuts have had plenty of time to cure, you can store them as-is in a cool, dark place for up to a year (though they may turn rancid before then). Your best bet, however, is to shell the nuts and freeze them. If you do this, they’ll last indefinitely.

What are the health benefits of black walnuts?

Omega-3 fatty acids. May improve certain heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol levels ( 7 Trusted Source ).

What fruit is black walnut?

Visually, black walnut is similar to the butternut (Juglans cinerea) in leaf shape, and the range also overlaps significantly. The fruits are quite different, and their presence makes an identification easy, as black walnut fruits are round and butternuts are more oval-oblong shaped.

Where are black walnuts grown?

Juglans nigra, the eastern black walnut, is a species of deciduous tree in the walnut family, Juglandaceae, native to eastern North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central Texas.

What is the growth rate of a walnut tree?

According to timber experts, black walnut trees, when planted to maximize tree growth, can grow as much as 3′ to 4′ per year in good soil, reaching a mature height of over 100′ and 30″ to 40″ in diameter, with 16″ diameter saw logs ready to harvest in 30 years.