Bad News for Butternut

[jon12345]

Apparently butternut has been listed as threatened  :'(


This is where I first saw the news, I'll look for more info and edit accordingly.
http://www.mn.nrcs.usda.gov/partnerships/wright/butternut.htm


3 states have it listed so far, KY, TN, and NY.  Maybe it isn't as bad as it seems
http://plants.usda.gov:8080/plants//profile?symbol=JUCI

[crtreedude]

This is an interesting question for me - when a tree in the USA is listed as threatened - what happens?

Here in Costa Rica, if a tree is endangered, put up your chainsaw - you can't even salvage a downed tree. If you grow them in plantations there is not problem, but wild ones are completely off limits, dead or alive.

[jon12345]

From what I've seen it is pretty much voluntary, unlike other endangered species.  However there are programs that will assist you with managing your property for an endangered tree species.

I think unfortunately butternut is going to be in the same boat as chestnut.

[crtreedude]

Interesting - I can tell you that our rules down here are very strict. They are usually imposed by the World Bank (i.e. Costa Rica, you need money, okay, here are the terms)

Also, since Costa Rica is a ecotourism paradise - they want to preserve and actually build back more, what is left.

[SwampDonkey]

It's distribution is very localized in Canada and it's not listed as endangered here. New Brunswick is the only Maritime province it occurs in, along the Saint John and Mirimachi rivers. And it occurs along the St Lawrence River, west of Rivier De Loop and westward down to Lake Michegan and up the lower reaches of the Ottawa River.

[populus]

Butternut is not on the US Federal Endangered or Threatened list, although it probably should be. Very few species have been added to the list since 2001.

It is listed as Threatened in Tennessee, a Species of Special Concern in Kentucky and Exploitably Vulnerable in New York. It is considered Endangered in Canada. (SwampDonkey - here is the reference: COSEWIC species database
Butternut was uncommon to start with and overharvested for years. The major problem is butternut canker caused by the fungus Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum (try using that in a sentence at your Christmas party).  I'm afraid the species is likely to go the way of American chestnut, though with less drama.

There were many trees still in Wisconsin when I was a grad student, but most are gone. I see them occasionally in Kentucky and always note their location. Usually, they are gone within a few years.

[SwampDonkey]

Well I stand corrected. But it's only official when listed on SARA. ;D

http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=793

If it weren't for the internet, the public would have no clue. Nobody bothers much with butternut as far as harvesting it. On dad's farm we had butternut along every creek and I only cut one for lumber and my father left them to pick the nuts for his fudge. I see a log once in a while in the marketing board yard. I ahve one in the back yard I transplanted from the farm and I also gave my uncle one a few years ago which is doing well.

[thecfarm]

I did have 3.One was too close to the road when the town made a ditch,I live on a dirt road,and they cut the roots off one side.The other one I doubt will leaf out next year and one is beside the driveway and so far is doing great.I have none in the woods.

[slowzuki]

I have 3 mature ones, they are dying though, heavy branch dropping.  My parents have a few on their property too.

Ken

[SwampDonkey]

I did notice this fall, at the mouth of the Tobique river, alot of those butternut are dying now. Some are not even mature, must be that fungus but I looked for cankers on the stems and couldn't find any. There was once islands there before the dam was constructed that had alot of butternut and elm. I found that alot of the butternut in Fredericton died from wind and ice damage. They used to have alot a butternut in Fredericton many years ago.

[maple flats]

I have one I planted near my blueberry farm, doing ok and 1 in my sugarbush, at the edge of the only open field on the property. That one is not very healthy, has only 1 limb still leafing out as of summer 05. I was going to cut it to salvage any lumber that was any good yet, might just have to watch it fall and rot. Sure hope it doesn't fall on me as I mow that field. That might hurt! smiley_dizzy

[jon12345]

Ones in the yard probably won't come back next year, they seem to have a lot of bark falling off.  If they don't, I guess it will be a nice campfire because they both have multiple stems, the largest being pretty small.  If anything they would be pretty short logs.

I found a couple other trees in the woods about 1/4 mile away, I will go check next year for some nuts to plant as those trees seemed much healthier than the ones in the yard.  I think the windblocking effect of the other trees and their isolated location may be keeping them protected.

[junkyard]

Jon12345
Don't burn it all. Real pretty grain and soft enough to be easily carved. Even small pieces will interest a carver.
                           Junkyard

[Sawyerfortyish]

Well I've got about 2000' of wormy butternut I've collected over the years stickered and drying. (it's not for sale) I don't cut any live trees just dead ones I've come across. I think you guys are right it will go the way of the chestnut.

[OLD_ JD]

One landowner where i am cutting just have me cut 6645 bf of butternut :( mostly nice healthy 20"-30" tree's...but what can i do???Is the landowner and I'm just the contractor

[SwampDonkey]

On the farm we sold, it had a brook lined with butternut and on the back of that farm had butternut mixed in a sugar maple-ash-yellow birch stand. I only cut one in all those butternut and had it milled. The one I cut was not the best, it had some minor defect.  I can honestly say I planted way more of them than I cut.  ;) ;D Someplace in this house I have a plaque I made and I used ash, then I used black walnut leaf and a butternut which I epoxyed to the plaque. Talk about a way to confuse someone. :D

[SwampDonkey]

She's pretty rough after the mice took at it for a few years. :D

There are 70 rings on that board from centre (pith) to the edge. The middle of the board is near the pith. The board is 7 inches wide, so there is 20 rings to the inch.  The original tree was 28 inches wide, so it was nearly 280 years old. Just noticed how slow growing that brute was. 

[Riles]

Butternut canker came up in pathology class this week. The prof says to salvage cut once they get more than 50% canker on the stem. He said to look for the escape trees, ones nearby that should be affected by the canker but don't seem to be, and DON'T CUT THEM. He also recommended taking seeds and planting them outside of the canker infected areas, as was done with the chestnut (there are healthy American chestnuts out west that the blight hasn't reached).

[SwampDonkey]

Make sure you treat the seed with fungicide or it will hitch a ride to the new site.

[SwampDonkey]

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