walnut scraps and the fireplace

[Jeff Myroup]

Hi everyone.

I just have a quick question. A friend of mine is taking down a medium size walnut tree and is giving me what ever wood I want. He would like to use the rest for fire wood. He was told not to burn it by the tree service. I was wondering what everyone thought. I told him since I only have a gas fireplace, which by the way never gets used due to the cost, I would talk to some experts. Thank you for your time.

Jeff

 

[dkulze]

Hi Jeff,

Walnut is great stuff to turn. There's a thread going on about it already.

I haven't heard specifics about burning walnut but I do know that the local tree yard won't split it for their firewood piles. I also know that the bark is toxic to animals and it wouldn't surprise me if it either smelled bad or had moderately toxic smoke (not drop dead toxic or anything, just not good to breath).

Dietrich

 

[Mark Mandell]

Jeff,

If I don't turn it, I burn it. No problem. Sounds like some urban mythe, perhaps based on good info about not burning poison ivy, is circulating making people with insufficient knowledge avoid it.

It burns well and cleanly when dry. Doesn't have the BTU's of say red oak or hickory (not to mention osage orange), but otherwise it's fine.

😀

 

[MichaelMouse]

While visiting down in Missouri, we went to the home of a man who collected steam engines. He had one of those great big Kewanee boilers to provide steam for the collection. My wife had to grab me and hold on when he opened the door and began pitching grunting-size chunks of walnut into the flames. To him it was no different than me rolling maple or birch into the furnace.

Location, location, and ... what was the third one?

Firewood dealers probably avoid it because enough people are sensitive to the extractives to generate complaints.

 

[Myrel Willeford]

unhealthy trees

Now that I think about it the local tree service goes around and removes unhealthy trees. Large oaks, Large redwoods, Large walnut. 😕 They do not cut it up into fire wood they cut the trunk into 10 foot lengths and store it in their yard and sell it to saw mills. Wonder why only the big trees are sick? 🙄

 

[hockenbery]

I've burned a bunch of it in my fire places.

No problems that I'm aware of.

I have heard that walnut should be avoided as stall bedding for horses. I was told that the horse urine combines with the walnut to create a toxic substance that the horses absorb through their hooves. This may be true or just a tale.

Maybe there is Horse Vet out there who knows the facts.


happy turning

Al

 

[Bill Grumbine]

I've got walnut here from 6" in diameter to 36" diameter, and what doesn't get turned gets burned. Like Mark says, it doesn't have a lot of heat value, but it beats rotting on the ground after all has been turned that can be turned.

There is the lingering perception that walnut trees are little gold mines for the owners. I suspect it goes back to the days of WWII when the US government was buying walnut up at premium prices to make gunstocks. There is not the call that there once was, and while the wood is very pretty, not everyone thinks so. But I like it, and turn it every chance I get.

Bill

 

[Steve Worcester]

There is the lingering perception that walnut trees are little gold mines for the owners.

I wonder if it is because it is one of the few naturally dark native species (of size)?

 

[MichaelMouse]

How about this? The green stuff will make dark dye spots on carpets and such. Of course, so will a lot of dark imported woods, given some liquid.

 

[n7bsn]

Now that I think about it the local tree service goes around and removes unhealthy trees. Large oaks, Large redwoods, Large walnut. 😕 They do not cut it up into fire wood they cut the trunk into 10 foot lengths and store it in their yard and sell it to saw mills. Wonder why only the big trees are sick? 🙄

I wonder if they figure that in the price. I know a local service does. It you want harvestable timber cut to fire-wood, it's more then if you let them cart it off for milling.

TTFN
Ralph

 

[quartlow]

Never use Walnut sawdust or shavings for bedding, it can lead to hoof and resparitary problems
Purdue University Study

You can burn it just fine, not the greatest for heat, but certanly not the worst. What a lot of folks don't realize is that all wood makes the SAME btu's per pound, Of course the lighter the wood the more of it going to take.

Short list of of firewood BTU's Based on a cord, or by volume.

Osage orange 29,700,000 E
Persimmon 26,400,000 E
Black locust 25,200,000 E
Hickory 24,500,000 E
White oak 24,300,000 E
Dogwood 24,300,000 E
Mulberry 23,700,000 E
Honey locust 23,700,000 E
Beech 22,900,000 E
Red oak 22,600,000 E
Sugar maple 22,600,000 E
White ash 22,100,000 E
Apple 21,400,000 E
Sourwood 20,400,000 E
Black walnut 20,300,000 E
Shortleaf pine 20,100,000 G

More BTU Info

 

[Mike S]

Burning Walnut

Their is no problems with burning walnut, I have a wood burning stove in my shop and have been burning it for years.

 

[Steve Worcester]

What a lot of folks don't realize is that all wood makes the SAME btu's per pound, Of course the lighter the wood the more of it going to take.

What a cool link. But the same BTU/LBS (if my math is right) is a bit off. If you calculate BTUs/LB for White Cedar (lowest) against Hickory (oddly enough the most dense and BTUs /cord on the list), they are 500 BTUs different/lb.

But where did you get the info on Osage and the other species on the list that aren't on the chimneysweep list? (Curiosity, facts like this always have interested me, in case I ever get onto Jeopardy)

 

[Gretch Flo]

black walnut toxicity

I have been intersted in this thread. I am a small animal veterinarian, and in the very far, far recesses of my mind I remember that wood shavings from bk walnut were toxic. I used to have horses 15 yrs ago for the kids (and me)and now have leased my small pasture out to 3 horses and the bk walnuts that we planted in the pasture now have trees that are about 10-12 inches in diameter, and producing nuts for our squirrels. I have concerns about them and my trees, as I thought it was only in the shavings.
I turn some bk walnut, and use the mixed shavings all over my trees/gardens, foundation etc. I have carefully watched the germinations and transplantation of vegetables in my 3 gardens, and I see no ill effects (not 100% bk walnut concentration, tho), I burn the cutoffs in my 2 wood stoves and I see no ill effects, altho "smetmes my tpying si dscobolatded". Last week I asked our (Mich st univ)wild life vet about bk walnut. I am getting some red spalted box elder from him, and he's saving me some spalted sugar maple for me and he knows his trees an has horses as well.. He did a little reading and responded about some allergies to the pollen, esp in wild buffalo (I know you all are really wanting to know this). So is this an old wives tale? If I get the gumption 🙂 , I will try to contact some one in toxicology, or an equine vet on staff to see if they have any further info. Gretch