Home / Resources and Writings / Weblog / Plant Diseases and Pests / Looking for Healthy Butternut Trees
Looking for Healthy Butternut Trees
Butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) are not common. Many people may have never tasted the nuts, which are prized in eastern N. America, where they are native. The tree is plagued by butternut canker, which has wiped out 80% of Juglans cinerea in some US states. To promote the tree researchers are searching the tree's native range for healthy stock to use in breeding research.
The Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture has created a butternut orchard in Corvallis, Oregon as part of its germplasm repository. Scientists at the facility are trying to breed trees with larger tastier nuts as well as disease resistance. Researchers from the service will be touring several states this year in search of healthy trees.
Mike Ostry, a US Forest Service research plant pathologist has also been looking for healthy butternut trees. He feels that the best hope for the future of the tree is in finding trees that are naturally resistant to the canker.
Links:
- Butternuts Protected in Oregon Orchard from the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture
- Butternut blues - US butternut tree, endangered species from American Forests (1993)
- Juglans cinerea L. Butternut a plant profile from Natural Resources Canada
- How to Identify Butternut Canker and Manage Butternut Trees from the US Department of Agriculture
Like some black walnuts, butternuts produce toxins that inhibit the growth of some plants in their vicinity. People interested in the tree may want to read more about this trait.
Link: Walnut and Butternut Toxicity from the University of Wisconsin-Extension (PDF)
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 2:17 PM on July 12, 2005
Want to talk about this weblog entry? As of August 22, 2006, all new entries and most older entries are cross-posted to the UBC Botanical Garden Discussion Forums for discussion (you might need to use the search function to find the thread you are looking for).
This is an effort to reduce the amount of time spent dealing with spam (the forums are very good at stopping spam, the weblog commenting system is not so good).
Older entries already containing comments remain open for discussion.
Comments
I think I have a pretty healthy butternut tree; looking for more information on the tree.
I live in hartland, michigan.
Thanks,
jessica
Posted by: Jessica Carleton at July 14, 2005 5:40 PM
have a summer camp on an island in the montreal area and have butternut trees which i have cultivated from seed nuts from the local trees. do you want some nuts for your research? i have a number of small first year seedlings potted and awaiting transplanting . bert havill montreal , quebec. canada
Posted by: bert havill at July 20, 2005 5:30 AM
We are not conducting research on the butternut here at UBC, but the researchers mentioned in the article may be interested in receiving information about healthy butternut specimens.
Posted by: Eric La Fountaine at July 23, 2005 10:37 AM
How do you cultivate a tree from a butternut seed? I would like to grow seedlings from the tree I have in my yard.
Posted by: Donna at August 7, 2005 8:09 PM
Butternut seed should be sown fresh when fully ripe. It will need a period of cool stratification. You can plant seeds in deep pots and leave them outdoors over the winter. You will need to keep the pots protected from rodents or other pests that will dig out the seeds. It may be best to grow them in a cold frame. Germination should occur in the late winter or early spring. Alternately you could place the seeds seeled in a plastic bag with moist peat moss in the refrigerator over the winter and plant out in spring. Good Luck!
Posted by: Eric La Fountaine at August 8, 2005 8:09 AM
We have 5 butternut trees that have some dead limbs and are loosing leaves. What can be doon to help the trees?
Posted by: Todd at August 12, 2005 1:02 PM
I saw a huge butternut tree in the Atnarko River Valley above Stuie at the Robson place. It is huge and the only butternut tree I have ever seen. It was loaded with flowering parts in May of 2003.
Posted by: Kris Andrews at August 29, 2005 3:15 PM
I recenly found a butternut tree growing on my farm.I found it growing in a small secton of woods.IT all so has plenty of nuts.
This is the first butternut tree I have seen since I was small boy.By the way I live in southeastern OHIO.
Posted by: Ralph Bowers at September 3, 2005 1:59 PM
we have a wonderful butternut here in Kinnelon, NJ. It is estimated to be over 100 years old. I have some of the dropped fruit. I would love to grow a couple of trees. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Posted by: Mary cobell at September 14, 2005 5:03 AM
I found a very large and healthy looking butternut tree growing behind Clinton Memorial Hospital in Wilmington,Ohio bearing large elongated nuts.
Posted by: Rob Ross at September 15, 2005 8:13 PM
We believe that we have a large butternut tree in our backyard in South Central Connecticut. It has bore fruit each year since we moved in 3 years ago. I have not seen any sign of canker. Can someone tell me what to do to the fruit to make it edible and cultivate more trees?
Posted by: Gita Sullivan at September 18, 2005 11:42 AM
My father-in-law, a lifelong hunter and woodsman, had no idea what this tree was in my back yard (northern NH). Now I know why. Not very tall, but I have about 8 of them growing in a small cluster on one side of my farm.
Posted by: Greg Corrigan at September 19, 2005 5:50 PM
Our tree was very much admired by my mother before she passed on, and when it bursts into leaf each spring I am reminded of her visits with us. We have trimmed the lower branches of the tree as they were overhanging the vegetable garden giving too much shade, but the main centre growth still spreads majestically 50 or 60 feet high.
My question to you is about the shedding of leaves - our tree constantly sheds leaves throughout the summer and is the first to be bare before the fall really gets underway. Is this normal? Our lawn is covered with leaves from the tree all season long.
Do you know if there is something we can do to prevent this loss of foliage?
Posted by: Ed and Stella Cox at September 21, 2005 6:59 AM
Ed and Stella, that sounds like a wonderful tree. I do not know the answer to the leaf drop. You may wish to ask your question on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. The forums are set up for questions and you are likely to get answers there. Judging from the comments here, there is a lot of interest in the butternut tree. I would welcome discussion of the tree in the Fruit Tree category of the forums.
When I was growing up in Ohio, a butternut tree grew at the end of our lane. It was never vigorous and only attained a height of around 4 metres (12 feet), but it had the finest nuts I have ever tasted.
Posted by: Eric La Fountaine at September 21, 2005 1:53 PM
I have a large 35-40 year old butternut tree growing on the old home place. I has produced a bumper crop of nuts this year and shows no sign of canker. I have a neighbor and myself trying to get the seeds to sprout this year for transplanting seedlings in likely spots to try to replenish the tree (many locally are sick or dead) If anyone from a state or national government group would like some of the seed nuts contact me with the word butternut in the subject line and I will gladly ship nuts to you on a first come first serve basis.
The butternut tree is so useful and necessary to a healthy mixed forest it deserves preservation.
Posted by: Joe at October 18, 2005 6:57 PM
I live in northeastern Ohio near Canton and have a butternut tree in my yard with a crown that spreads 100'. It's limbs are long and reaching. It had a bumper crop this year after producing no nuts last year. I have no idea how old this magnificant tree is. I have lived here 25 years and it was huge and producing nuts then. The house is 140 years old, so I have no idea how long the tree has been here. It feeds many squirrels and always has ladybugs at it's base. Every spring we have volunteer sprouts of trees all over the yard. We also have another butternut tree about 250' from this one that is not as large or as big a producer but was here when I moved here.
Posted by: Cathy Pilati at October 20, 2005 6:15 AM
How do I go about trying to start a new butternut tree?
Posted by: SAndra Abert at October 20, 2005 8:48 AM
I don't know much about the propagation of butternut trees, but apparently judging from Cathy's post above, they germinate naturally in their native environment with ease.
This would be an excellent conversation to take up on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums
Posted by: Eric La Fountaine at October 20, 2005 9:50 AM
I live in the Butternut Valley of upper New York State. I am looking to help the plight of butternut trees by offering a reputable research person, come and plant more trees and watch their progrees. I have lost all of my butternut trees with much sadness, and would like to replant and contribute to the future of healthy trees by finding out what we can do to make this happen.
Posted by: Dawn at November 19, 2005 9:11 AM
I live in New York State,Approximately 30 miles from Vermont,right on the US.-Quebec border.I think that I have several large Butternut trees.I am having difficulty identifing the Butternut tree,I am almost sure that they are the same trees by what I have found in the pictures and info that I have gathered.Can you help me in any way to identify these trees.I have already made lumber from 1 very large tree and 1 small one that had died.I would appreciate any information that you could provide to help me with this.
Thank you----- ED
Posted by: Edward Kanentes Sawyer at June 29, 2006 5:35 AM
I live in Merrickville, Ontario Cananda
and have a healthy butternut tree in my yard.
What do I do with it?
Thanks Linda Hall
Posted by: Linda Hall at July 11, 2006 5:08 PM
An Ohio Division Forester and I located two large Butternut trees in a secluded and rugged ravine in Southeastern Ohio. One has darker bark and appears to be healing over its cankers; no dead wood was detected. Is it possible that this is a naturally resistant speciman??? I will try to collect nuts and grow youngin's this year. Please contact me if this tree offers potential for your research and preservation work. Thank you.
Posted by: Kathy Jacobson at July 14, 2006 12:47 PM
I have just found a Butternut tree in our yard in Golden Valley MN. Please contact me as I would like to help to preserve the tree here in Minnesota. I believe the tree to be healthy, of course I can not be sure. Please help.
Posted by: Vince LLanas at July 22, 2006 2:43 PM
There is a large unspoiled forested area near Allegheny County Airport which must encompass over 1000 acres.
Scattered over this terrain there must be at least 100 butternut trees which look healthy to my eyes. When should the fruit start to appear?
Is it unusual to find this many butternut trees in so small an area?
Posted by: Ken Warner at July 26, 2006 7:11 AM
Hello,
I am writting from Port Clinton, Ohio. We have a butternut tree in our backyard, in town, that has been there at least 50 years. The butternut crop is quite bountiful, but we'd like to know if there are any recipes for them and is there a special method to preparing them first. I don't believe it has the canker, but we will be checking that out this weekend. Thank you,
Lenore Jarmolowicz
Posted by: Lenore Jarmolowicz at July 28, 2006 5:40 AM
I have a butternut tree planted it in 96. It did not produce any nuts until it was four years old. Then it took a couple years off and do not produce anything. After that there was maybe 6 nuts than this year. There was almost 100. Is it possible to graph the black walnut limb on to it? I read that the butternut is called the white walnut. How do you know, if they are ripe? Are there recipes you can use these nuts can be put in? I have seen some trees I believe what they did was made a slit in the tree and put some Pete Moss and burlap a round that slit and kept it moist until it rooted.(Do you know what I am talking about). Can you do this with any tree? By the way I live in West Virginia.
Posted by: T. Hunt at August 9, 2006 5:31 PM
Living in southwestern PA., my brother has one each of black walnut, english walnut and butternut trees. The harvest was bountiful this year. Regarding recipes using butternuts, just use them as your only nut ingredient, or you can mix them with any other nuts, as my sister-in-law does (the butternut proportion is smaller as they are a richer nut).
I found with any nuts if you heat them in the oven, it brings out the natural flavor. Watch to not brown them much. Let them cool a little, chop if desired and add to other ingredients. The difference in taste is awesome. Blessings; jc4jc
Posted by: Janet Collar at November 30, 2007 10:41 AM
Although it's been many years (1950s) since I visited my grandparents' farm, I will never forget the lovely Butternut Trees in their back yard (Hanover Ontario)! I remember sitting under the tree and cracking the nuts open with a rock (or hammer) as they are very hard and eating the fruit. So tasty and I've never had the opportunity to see a Butternut tree since then (have lived BC Lower Mainland many yrs). I was to read of its' extinction of course. Nobody has ever heard of them out west :-) and that is how I stumbled upon this forum. I wish I could help in some small way to fight off this disease that is destroying these lovely fruit-bearing trees. I wonder if they will grow in BC?
Posted by: Heather Hopkins at March 3, 2008 10:27 PM
I read an article today in Nature Conservancy bulletin. It was about Butternut Trees. I have such fond memories of my grandfather and the butternut tree that grew next to my house in Frankton, Indiana. In the fall we would gather the butternuts and take them to the hay loft of his small barn. We would spread the current year's crop of nuts in a layer across the floor. The next spring the hulls would be brown and easy to remove. He had a special butternut cracker. It was an old clothes iron without the handle and a hammer with an old iron handle. We always used the same tools to crack the hard shell. Butternuts are about 2 inches long, and a scant inch wide. The outside of the nut is rough like a black walnut. The iron had a narrow groove where you could lay in to hit it and a rounded dent where you could stand it upright to whack it, if the other method didn't work. I own the iron and hammer and I think of Grandpa every time I see them. I haven't had a butternut in years, but I can still taste the butternut meat and remember my grandfather sharing them with me. I would love to try growing one here in Indiana. Does anyone have seedlings or a nut from which I could start a seedling?
Posted by: Leila Dailey at March 22, 2008 4:52 PM
I found two healthy butternut trees in our woods in S.E. Ohio, each about 40-60 feet tall. There are two diseased trees nearby one of them. I don't recall if the good ones had nuts but one of the "bad" ones did.
Posted by: mikeowens at April 8, 2008 7:26 PM
For Leila Dailey, I hope by now that you have found your butternut seeds or seedling. I grew 5 trees from seeds I found 20 years ago. My trees started bearing in 17 years, and I planted the nuts and now have around 30 seedlings at last count, hoping for more. I live in Delaware County, ohio, and found the parent trees in Morrow Co. Ohio. I need more info on transplanting the seedlings as I grew them in a 5 gallon bucket. Never dreamed they would do so well, now need to transplant them into pots to "baby" for a few years. I am going to check on the parents trees tomorrow to see if they are still living.Does anyone have any info to guide me in transplanting into pots to heel in for a few years??Thanks
Posted by: Pat Schirtzinger at July 5, 2008 8:33 PM
Hi all,
I am an American living in the UK and want to plant a couple of native trees to remind me of home. I can't import plants but any sort of seed is fine and legal. I saw all the posts about Butternuts and it brought up memories of my childhood. I wonder if I could get anyone to send me some fresh seed this fall? I would pay via paypal. Also I am looking for native Hickory and Black Walnut and Dogwood.
Thanks!
Sarah Morse
Priory Marina
Barkers Lane
Bedford
Bedfordshire
MK41 9DJ
United Kingdom
Posted by: sarah at July 12, 2008 2:22 AM
This is for Sarah Morse, I have a new crop of nuts on my young trees that I mentioned in the post before yours. I will be glad to mail you some this fall for spring planting. I think it would be interesting to see these endangered trees growing in other parts of the country. Are the Butternuts native to where you live? Pat
Posted by: Pat Schirtzinger at July 30, 2008 4:39 AM
I LIVE IN BREWER,MAINE AND I HAVE A LARGE BUTTERNUT TREE AND THE TREE IS LOADED WITH NUTS, CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW AND WHEN TO HARVEST THEM.ALSO HOW TO PREPARE THE TO EAT..TKS LARRY
Posted by: larry at August 3, 2008 7:09 PM
We live near Freeport, OH and have 2 healthy Butternut Trees that are producing a bumper crop this year.
Posted by: Robert Clay at September 9, 2008 5:24 PM
Hi Larry. You have 2 choices: 1.) Wait for the nuts to fall and simply pick them up; or 2.) take a stick and knock them off the branches.
Option #2 is usually better because the squirrels love them and will beat you. Also, in warm weather, they turn rancid very quickly.
I have one lonely tree left up here in northern Wisc. Good luck.
Posted by: Mark Hartzer at September 11, 2008 6:06 AM
I live in southeastern , ohio my dad planted two butternut trees approx 10-12 yrs ago, maybe longer, this year they are loaded.
I seen above people were looking for seedlings, or how to start one, I have noticed many seedlings growing underneath our two trees, in between mowings, so that is a place to check, if anyone would like me to send them a few nuts to try to grow, I will just email me ( subject) BUTTERNUTS
Also we went yesterday to gather buckeyes, and discovered a very large butternut tree out in the middle of the woods, It was also loaded, we had been going there for 20 yrs or more , and just noticed it, quite a suprise to find.
Posted by: jennifer berry at September 17, 2008 11:45 AM
Post above , my email is littlebittie1945@yahoo.com
RE: BUTTERNUTS
Posted by: jennifer berry at September 17, 2008 11:47 AM
I'm from Minneapolis, MN and have a beautiful butternut tree in my back yard. My question is: Does anyone elses butternut have a lackluster dropping of leaves in the fall? The leaves turn slightly yellow and have spots on them, but in the spring in summer they are healthy & green. It has grown quite a bit since we bought the house 4 years ago, so it's healthy in that respect. Any insight or assistance anyone could provide would be appreciated.
Posted by: Brenda at September 22, 2008 2:34 PM
I believe what I have found are two very productive butternut trees behind our shed in the Ozarks. Do I have to dry the nuts before we eat them or can they be eaten right away?
Posted by: Linda Sue at October 8, 2008 6:02 PM
I know nothing about trees. When my home was purchased it had 28 species of trees on it I was told. Many of them have been removed. Recently I decided to plant some trees in my front and rear yard. I decided to find out about the types that are not seen very often and discovered that I had a conflict as to which trees I would plant. Because two of them are vanishing or endangered. I decided to give back to nature by planting these trees on my property. I chose the Eastern Redbud, American Butternut and the Sorrel/Sourwood. Without ever seeing the last two but from small pictures on the internet. I do not know what one really looks like. There has been plenty of information about all of them for me to help make my decission on which ones to plant.
Speaking to plenty of local people about my intentions, and of the trees of interest to me. From a small property near my home, I was given permission by the owner to take as many redbud trees as I wanted of any age and size off of it, prior to its clearing(there are about 300 of them of all sizes). While doing so I had found some form of nuts in their husk/shell of another rare lesser known tree(an undercanopy american chestnut)I picked up two of its nuts and planted them as they were in the ground about 6-8 inches below, under a stand of trees in my yard. I do not know if it was the correct thing to do. I did it anyway.
A few days later I found placed on my mail box two adjoining nuts in a husk. I don't know anything about them or who placed them there.
Showing them to my friends, there are questions left unanswered about what they are. But we do know they are not Black Wallnuts or chestnuts.
I have not seen a Butternut, Hickory nut or a Pecans outer shell/husk. I do not know their actual size or shape. as I do a some chestnuts. Are there any good pictures of them on the net.
I planted sourwood/sorrel trees. They are also very hard to come by. Not as hard as the Butternut which I still do not have.
I would like to attain good/healthy Butternut seeds, seedlings or tree. To plant on my property.
and onformation as to planting them.
All help is appreciated.
Posted by: Al LeRouge at October 17, 2008 11:55 PM
I live in Southeastern Ontario. There is a mixed
hardwood forest behind my house.
The city wants to build a road through this
forest about 100 metres away from my neighborhood.
The city has found two healthy Butternut trees in
this forest and plan to put this road alongside
these trees.
Our neighborhood is concerned about the swath of trees that will be removed for this road and are also wondering if the construction process may
disturb the root system of the endangered trees,
thereby killing them.
The city claims that they want to preserve these trees and that the road is not too close.
We beg to differ.
Can you help us with any info - how far should the road be to truly protect these trees?
Thank you,
Joanne Stajov
Posted by: Joanne Stajov at October 29, 2008 9:27 PM
For Heather Hopkins ~ It's been over a year since you posted, however, am hoping you see this post. My family and I moved to the Eastern Hillsides area of Chilliwack just under a year ago and are pleased to have one of the BIGGEST, and unfortunately, the oldest Butternut trees I've ever seen. Had never taken any notice to such beautiful trees, but after reading about their rareity and endangered nature, have spotted dozens of the lovely trees right here in the Lower Mainland of BC! From one point on our property, I can count about a dozen young trees that will hopefully become as large and majestic as our pride and joy!
Take a drive out to Chilliwack one day ~ I'm sure you'll love all the memories flowing back!
Liisa
jerseybelle@hotmail.com
Posted by: Liisa at April 14, 2009 6:36 PM
I have a healthy butternut tree on the shore of a lake in northern Vermont. I planted a companion tree thirty years ago. While one had matured nicely, the other was planted in heavy shade in the woods and is quite small. As a result, I have only infrequent and small clusters of nuts although the primary tree seems in great shape and disease free. Where can I get a tree old enough to cross polinate with this mature tree. Thanks
Posted by: A Anderson at August 19, 2009 9:13 AM
I have a very large, healthy butternut tree in Upstate NY. It is producing nuts yearly, which is why I'm inclined to think its healthy. We thought fruit was produced in 2-3 year cycles but we seem to have quite a large amount of nuts each year. A bit tough to manage but the squirrels are happy!
Posted by: JA McKeon at August 22, 2009 5:55 PM
We have a healthy butternut tree in Sooke, BC. When we moved in to our home five years ago the tree was healthy it was dead on the top. With regular pruning the tree has begun to show a lot of new growth. It looks as though the trunk has been a favourite spot for wood peckers etc, as there are lots of little holes all over the trunk. I love this tree as it is quite unique with its beautiful broad leaves.
Posted by: A Millen at August 23, 2009 8:54 AM
Hello;
I have the opportunity to acquire some Butternut Seed from a very {visually] healthy Butternut Tree here on Long Island. I am creating a Memorial Forest in Concord Plantation, Maine 04920. I already have several Groves of Semi-Hybridized American Chestnut Trees that I acquired from Dr. Glen Rae, Pres. of The American Chestnut Tree Foundation, Maine Chapter...should I try to plant these in close proximity to these standing Groves? or should I choose another site? Can the Canker be a breeding ground for the Blight that is affecting the american chestnut? I want to promote both tree species, but I am greatly concerned about one creating problems for the other. I have been rated by the Federal Government, Natural Resources Conservation Service as having the number one Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program in The State...My desire is sincere and I have the hopes of perpetuating this program in the Flora that accompanies this endeavor as well, as they both go hand-in-hand...anything that you can alert me to or inform me of would be of great interest and support! You can contact The N.R.C.S. Field Office in Skowhegan, Maine at 207-474-8324, ask for District Conservationist Kevin White for verification of this project and further information that would be suited to his position. Thank you very much John Sferazo
Posted by: john sferazo at October 6, 2009 9:52 AM
I have found some butternut trees on PEI, where the butternut canker has not ravished the trees as of yet. I am in the process of growing hundreds of seedlings and reintroducing them into the wild around the island. I assume most out here are not aware as to the rareness and plight of the butternut. I am also growing heartnut and black walnut. The best place I know to go get butternut in large volumes is in the st john river shed area of New Brunswick. The canker has not touched that area of atlantic canada.
Posted by: kevin cook at November 14, 2009 6:07 AM
There is one known Butternut in Saskatoon and the lady who lives in the house where the tree is located, very kindly let me pick up a few seeds from around the base of the tree. Should I plant them directly into the ground or should I try to stratify them outside the ground and plant the next spring. The seeds still have the fleshy fruit around them. Should I remove the fruit and just work with the "bare" nut or plant the whole thing?
Posted by: Stephen McLachlin at November 15, 2009 8:13 PM
