How Much Are Walnut Trees Worth?

Walnut Trees Uses

• Highest-quality walnut tree lumber is used in veneers of doors, furniture, cabinets and wall panels. Nuts from walnut trees are used in baking, ice cream and candy. Ground shells can be used as a polishing abrasive. Walnuts are an important part of the diet of many forms of wildlife, including squirrels and deer. In the urban setting, walnut trees provide shade and some degree of ornamental value. Typically, these urban trees are lower quality than those found in professionally managed orchards. The wood from nonprofessionally grown trees is most commonly used for firewood, which at best will only partially offset the cost of cutting down a large tree.

Value Assumptions

• Regardless of use, value per commercial acre of walnuts varies depending on initial tree density, expected growth rate per year, seedling cost, whether or not nuts are harvested annually and the rate of tree thinning. It will also clearly depend on the market rate for timber on a board-foot basis and how much nuts sell for per pound. Walnut timber trees reach financial maturity essentially when the selling profit exceeds a higher rate of return than what the tree could provide if left to grow. Prices correlate with quality and size of tree.

Nut Value

• All walnut trees of nut-bearing age will produce nut crops, but certain cultivars have greater success producing high yields of good-quality walnuts. It is possible that a well-maintained walnut orchard can potentially produce about 2,000 pounds of walnuts annually per acre. Hammons Products, which operates more than 250 buying stations throughout the United States, is the only commercial black walnut processor in the United States. Growers can either sell directly to one of the buying stations or to a local huller. The University of Missouri's Center for Agroforestry lists 2010 walnut buying prices ranging from $0.13 to $0.45 per pound of harvested walnuts.

Timber Value

• Most black walnut trees are grown to produce saw logs or veneer. The value of timber value is largely determined by the relative presence or absence of defects. High-quality trees should have very few visible defects, including scars, bumps, cracks, crookedness, holes or low-hanging limbs. The most valuable timber trees exceed 18 inches in diameter. Total timber tree value will vary significantly depending on overall quality, number of trees and current market conditions. A single high-quality walnut specimen paired with the right buyer may be worth hundreds of dollars. You should always obtain multiple bids from reputable timber buyers for the purchase of a walnut tree.