Black Walnut

The dark, strong, dimensionally stable hardwood that American furniture and gunstocks are made of - and the most valuable temperate timber per tree.

Perché è importante?

Walnut is the clearest case of a timber priced as an individual tree rather than a commodity. A single large, clear, well-figured log can be worth more than a truckload of oak, and veneer buyers bid on logs one at a time.

Where it grows

The central and eastern United States, much of it from farm woodlots and fencerows rather than managed forest.

What it is used for

Furniture and cabinetry, veneer, gunstocks, turnery, musical instruments.

What to watch

Unusually stable once dry and easy to work. Steaming is sometimes used to darken the sapwood towards the heartwood colour, which is a value judgement the trade argues about.