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Clicking any heading in the main data area (at right) will scroll the page back to this top position. Use the following links to jump to the associated section in the main data. Blunting Effect Boring Carving Comments Common Names Common Uses Countries of Distribution Cutting Resistance Distribution Overview Drying Defects Ease of Drying Environmental Profile Family Name Gluing Grain Heartwood Color Kiln Drying Rate Kiln Schedules Luster Mortising Moulding Movement in Service Nailing Natural Durability Numerical Data Odor Planing Polishing Product Sources References Regions of Distribution Resistance to Impregnation Response to Hand Tools Routing & Recessing Sanding Sapwood Color Scientific Name Screwing Staining Steam Bending Texture Trade Name Tree Size Turning Veneering Qualities Scientific Name Juglans cinerea Trade Name Butternut Family Name Juglandaceae Common Names Butternut, Nogal, Nogal blanco, Nogal silvestre, Nuez meca, Oilnut, Tocte, Tropical walnut, Walnut, White walnut Regions of Distribution North America Countries of Distribution  [VIEW MAP] Canada, United States Common Uses Bedroom suites, Boat building, Boxes and crates, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Canoes, Casks, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Instrument cases, Interior construction, Interior trim, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Lifeboats, Living-room suites, Millwork, Moldings, Office furniture, Packing cases, Paneling , Radio - stereo - TV cabinets, Rustic furniture, Shipbuilding, Stools, Tables , Trimming, Woodenware Environmental Profile Vulnerable Abundant/Secure Rank of relative endangerment based on number of occurences globally. Generally secure within most of its natural habitat, but note exceptions. Data source is World Conservation Monitoring Center Data source is Nature Conservancy Its status in Mississippi is officially classified as Rare, and it is Vulnerable in Delaware. The status of the species in the state of Indiana is either Extinct, Endangered, Vulnerable, or Rare Very rare and local throughout its range, but found abundantally at some locations in a restricted range. Abundance and condition may be declining rapidly. High mortality, higher rates of infection, and rapid loss of remaining uninfected trees to timber cutting may also be factors Distribution Overview Butternut is distributed from southeastern New Brunswick throughout the New England States except for northern Maine and Cape Cod. Its range extends south to include northern New Jersey, western Maryland, Virginia, and Tennessee. Small isolated pockets occur in North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, northern Georgia, northern Alabama, northern Mississippi, and Arkansas. Westward it is found in eastern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota. Disjunct populations occur in Wisconsin, Michigan, and northeast into Ontario and Quebec. Throughout most of its range, butternut is not a common tree and its frequency is declining. The ranges of butternut and black walnut overlap, but butternut occurs farther north than and not as far south as black walnut. Butternut grows best on streambank sites and on well-drained soils; it is seldom found on dry, compact, or infertile soils. It grows better than black walnut, however, on dry, rocky soils, especially those of limestone origin. Butternut is found most frequently in coves, on stream benches and terraces, on slopes, in the talus of rock ledges, and on other sites with good drainage, primarily on soils of the orders Alfisols and Entisols. It is found up to an elevation of 1500 in (4,900 ft) in the Virginias, at much higher altitudes than black walnut. Heartwood Color Brown Red Pink Purple Black Light brown Dark brown streaks or red tones. It has also been described as light chestnut-brown, medium-brown to dark brown, or warm buttery tan Sapwood Color Green/Grey Red Brown Pink Thin sapwood White to light grayish brown, usually about one inch wide Grain Even Straight Straight Satiny and leafy Some veneer flitches may exhibit small dark spots Texture Medium Coarse Fine Soft texture Medium coarse to coarse Similar to Black Walnut Luster Satin-like luster Natural Durability Non-resistant to powder post beetles Durable Susceptible to insect attack Moderately durable Resistant to termites Perishable Non-durable Resistant to powder post beetles Very little natural resistance Susceptible to the furniture beetle No natural resistance The wood is also reported to rate lower than Black walnut in decay resistance. The growing tree is easily attacked by insects and fungus before maturity Odor No specific smell or taste Kiln Schedules Air-dry as thoroughly as possible before kiln drying Drying Defects Distortion Checking Splitting Ease of Drying Slowly Fairly Easy Medium to High Shrinkage Rapidly Reconditioning Treatement Little degrade Dries slowly with little shrinkage or degrade Kiln Drying Rate Naturally dries quickly Naturally dries at a moderate speed Naturally dries slowly Slow Drying rate is slow Tree Size Tree height is 30-40 m Trunk diameter is 100-150 cm Bole length is 20-30 m Tree height is 20-30 m Sapwood width is 5-10 cm Sapwood width is 0-5 cm Trunk diameter is 150-200 cm Tree height is 10-20 m Tree height is 40-50 m Bole length is 0-10 m Bole length is 10-20 m Trunk diameter is 250-300 cm The tree is reported to live for a relatively short period of time, and rarely exceeds seventy-five years of age. It usually has a short trunk Product Sources Although some material from this species is available from environmentally responsible sources, supplies of butternut are rather limited and are getting even smaller. The tree is more valuable for its nuts than for its lumber. Comments Butternut has been a favorite wood for church altars, and carvers still enjoy using the wood. It is currently used mainly for furniture. The wood is weak in stiffness, and is also rated as moderately weak in bending and edge-wise compression Blunting Effect Moderate Boring Poor to very poor results Fairly easy to very easy Carving Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Excellent for carving Cutting Resistance Easy to saw Brownish Little resistance to cutting, but cutters should be kept sharp to avoid tearing the soft wood Gluing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fair to Good Results Glues very well Mortising Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Moulding Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Movement in Service Excellent Stability - Small Movement Fairly stable in service Stays in place with minimum movement and shrinkage after seasoning Nailing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Poor to Very Poor Results Very good nailing properties Planing Fairly Easy to Very Easy Poor to Very Poor Results Butternut responds well to planing and other woodworking operations, but it is soft and requires very sharp cutting edges to prevent tearing Resistance to Impregnation Resistant heartwood Resistant sapwood Sapwood is permeable Heartwood is moderately resistant Response to Hand Tools Easy to Work Responds Readily Fairly Difficult to Difficult to Work Tools must be kept sharp for maximum efficiency The wood works very satisfactorily with hand tools Routing & Recessing Poor to Very Poor Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Sanding Fairly Easy to Very Easy Screwing Fair to Good Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy The material responds very well to screwing Turning Fairly Easy to Very Easy Poor to Very Poor Results Veneering Qualities Difficult to veneer No drying degrade Suitable for peeling Steam Bending Poor to Very Poor Results Unsuitable Fairly Difficult to Very Difficult Polishing Fair to Good Results Very Good to Excellent Results Fairly Easy to Very Easy Very good Staining Stains very well Numerical Data Item Green Dry English Bending Strength 5096 8134 psi Crushing Strength 216 451 psi Density 26 lbs/ft3 Impact Strength 24 24 inches Maximum Crushing Strength 2372 5008 psi Shearing Strength 1147 psi Stiffness 951 1156 1000 psi Work to Maximum Load 8 8 inch-lbs/in3 Specific Gravity 0.32 0.35 Weight 43 25 lbs/ft3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % Volumetric Shrinkage 10 % Item Green Dry Metric Bending Strength 358 571 kg/cm2 Crushing Strength 15 31 kg/cm2 Density 416 kg/m3 Impact Strength 60 60 cm Maximum Crushing Strength 166 352 kg/cm2 Shearing Strength 80 kg/cm2 Stiffness 66 81 1000 kg/cm2 Work to Maximum Load 0.56 0.56 cm-kg/cm3 Specific Gravity 0.32 0.35 Weight 689 400 kg/m3 Radial Shrinkage 3 % Tangential Shrinkage 6 % References Boone, R.S., C.J. Kozlik, P.J. Bois, E.M. Wengert. 1988. Dry Kiln Schedules for Commercial Hardwoods - Temperate and Tropical. USDA, Forest Service, General Technical Report FPL-GTR-57, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. Canadian Forestry Service. 1981. Canadian Woods - Their Properties and Uses. Third Edition. E.J. Mullins and T.S. McKnight, Editors. Published by University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. Jackson, A. and D. Day. 1991. Good Wood Handbook - The Woodworker's Guide to Identifying, Selecting and Using the Right Wood. Betterway Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio. Kaiser, J. Wood of the Month - Butternut: The White Walnut. Wood & Wood Products, November 1990. Page 60. Kline, M. 1978. Juglans cinerea - Butternut. In A Guide to Useful Woods of the World, Flynn Jr., J.H., Editor. King Philip Publishing Co., Portland, Maine. 1994. Page 194. Little, E.L. 1980. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees - Eastern Region. Published by Arthur A. Knopf, New york. Panshin, A.J. and C. deZeeuw. Textbook of Wood Technology. McGraw-Hill Series in Forest Resources. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. USDA. 1987. Wood Handbook : Wood as an Engineering Material. United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 72. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. USDA. 1988. Dry Kiln Operators Manual, Preliminary Copy. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin. WCMC. 1992. Conservation Status Listing - Trees and Timbers of the World. World Conservation Monitoring Center-Plants Programme, Cambridge, CB3 ODL, United Kingdom.