Guide for trimming Black Walnut?

[tjdub]

I have maybe 100 black walnuts of various ages growing in one of my cattle pastures and many (or most) are in dire need of maintenance if they're ever going to produce veneer logs.   Very few of these trees were ever pruned at all and none were ever pruned above the height that my Dad could reach with his chainsaw.  A lot of them are not growing dense enough and as a result have shot off low branches.

Is there any kind of guide or formula that describes when it's worth trimming a branch to improve future log quality.  I imagine that even if you trim a big branch and it scabs over perfectly, that log's quality is still going to suffer a great deal.  Is there a certain dbh when pruning becomes a lost cause?

I have an Echo pole saw and have done a lot of pruning on my fence lines over the past few years and I'm getting pretty good at it (in my own mind).  I haven't touched these walnuts though because I'm afraid of doing more harm than good.  Most of these trees probably won't be cut in my lifetime (unless times get really tough), but I want to do what's right for the long run.

[WDH]

As long as you maintain a crown ration of 40% (length (height) of live crown divided by total height), you can prune.  It can only help, but the benefit will take decades to accrue.

[Clark]

I would add that the benefit of pruning is not likely to accrue if they are growing in a pasture.  High quality trees and cattle don't seem to mix very often if at all.

Clark

[tjdub]

As long as you maintain a crown ratio of 40% (length (height) of live crown divided by total height), you can prune.  It can only help, but the benefit will take decades to accrue.

Thanks.

[tjdub]

I would add that the benefit of pruning is not likely to accrue if they are growing in a pasture.  High quality trees and cattle don't seem to mix very often if at all.

I think that depends on if it's trees growing in pasture or cattle grazing in forest

I've seen it said on this forum several times, but I asked my neighbor who does a lot of logging what he thought of that and he smiled and said something like "I wish more guys who were bidding against me believed that."

[beenthere]

I would add that the benefit of pruning is not likely to accrue if they are growing in a pasture.  High quality trees and cattle don't seem to mix very often if at all.

I think that depends on if it's trees growing in pasture or cattle grazing in forest

I've seen it said on this forum several times, but I asked my neighbor who does a lot of logging what he thought of that and he smiled and said something like "I wish more guys who were bidding against me believed that."

tj
What does "that" refer to in your last sentence??  Just trying to follow your point. ;)

[tjdub]

I've seen it said on this forum several times, but I asked my neighbor who does a lot of logging what he thought of that and he smiled and said something like "I wish more guys who were bidding against me believed that."

tj
What does "that" refer to in your last sentence??  Just trying to follow your point. ;)

that trees growing in pastures don't produce high-grade logs.

[beenthere]

tj
How about some pics of the walnut trees that you are thinking about trimming/pruning to get veneer logs?

[Clark]

I think that depends on if it's trees growing in pasture or cattle grazing in forest

I've seen it said on this forum several times, but I asked my neighbor who does a lot of logging what he thought of that and he smiled and said something like "I wish more guys who were bidding against me believed that."

I think you can graze woodlands and have good quality timber but no one that I know of in North America grazes light enough for that to happen.  I think the ecologists measure of "net primary productivity" could help merge certain aspects of farming and forestry.  However, I think the chance of producing high quality timber decreases the minute you mix cattle and trees.

I'll confess, I have seen high quality trees growing in a pasture.  It was balsam fir so "quality" is a very relative term.  They were growing very good for balsam (<8 rings/inch) and free of rot.  I've never seen it with hardwoods but I don't work in high quality hardwoods...

Clark

[tjdub]

How about some pics of the walnut trees that you are thinking about trimming/pruning to get veneer logs?

Sure, I'll take some pictures this weekend.  It will give me a chance to show off some pictures of the Great Boxelder Apocalypse of 2011 that I'm undertaking in the same pasture.

[woodtroll]

I have had plenty of bidders bid low because of cattle. Weather cattle in forest or trees in pasture. Mainly with white oak. Walnut never was that big of a percentage where I worked in the hardwoods.

[Stan snider]

What defects would you expect to find as a result of grazing  a stand of walnut, either in the tree or in the log?  Stan

[woodtroll]

The damage I would see was to the butt log. The cattle milling about, causing surface damage to the tree and compaction to the soil right around the tree.
This is more of the individual trees out in a pasture, not a forest that is grazed. Pasture trees tended to be shorter and more heavy branches.

In a grazed forest, I don't recall any damage to walnut. There can be a lot of other affects, but walnut maybe okay. I don't remember wormy walnut like wormy white oak.