About Other Fine Hardwoods
Growing Fine Hardwoods
Black walnut grows in association with a variety of hardwood tree species. These include most species of the eastern oaks, the ashes, yellow poplar, beech, sugar and silver maple, basswood, river birch, most hickory species, hackberry and sugarberry, black cherry, cottonwood, the elms, black gum, sweet gum (not related), and to a lesser extent, many smaller trees and shrubs.
While many of the these tree species have uses, only a few have wood properties make them suitable for furniture, flooring, and veneer. These include butternut, cherry, and the oaks.
Butternut
A closely related tree, the butternut, or white walnut, Juglans cinerea, is becoming very rare because of a fungal disease called "butternut canker". It's wood is similar to black walnut except for it being much lighter. It has been used for furniture, cabinets, and paneling.
Young butternut trees are difficult to distinguish from young walnut trees. As a rule of thumb, the terminal bud of a butternut is more elongated rather than rounded and the terminal leaflet is present on butternut, while it is either absent, dwarfed, or occurs as 2 small leaflets in black walnut. A mature butternut has distinct elongated light gray plates on the bark. The fruit is also spherical in shape, while black walnut is rounded.
Identification of Butternuts and Butternut Hybrids (pdf from Purdue Extension)
Conservation and Management of Butternut Trees (pdf from Purdue Extension)
Black Cherry
This tree has been prized since colonial times for it's red-brown wood. It has been used for furniture, veneer, cabinets, scientific instruments, and toys. Its price has dropped in recent years with lower demand for this species.
It grows across most of the eastern United States, but the highest quality trees usually come from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York. It grows quickly in full sun in uplands. They can grow from 60 to 80 feet in height and up to 2 feet in diameter. You can find more information on it's wood and uses here.
Oaks
There are a wide variety of oak species that grow across the eastern United States. These species can be found growing in dry upland sites to bottom land sites. This group can be divided into the white oaks and red oaks. This ecologically important group has been the focus of recent research due to decreasing amounts of regeneration of these species across large parts of it's range. You can find more resources about oak management here
White oak is the most important oak economically. It's hard wood has been used for furniture, cabinets, and flooring. It is also used to make barrels for whiskey. You can find more information about it's wood and uses here.
Northern red oak is the most important of the red oaks. Its wood has a redder color than white oak. It is used for furniture, cabinets and flooring. You can find more information about it's wood and uses here.