Trees We Buy

Your Guide to the Best Trees to Sell for High-Quality Timber

At Walnut Timber Buyers, we’re constantly asked by our clients what types of trees we buy. However, that question is more complicated than you might think! Much of what we buy from landowners depends on quantity, quality, tree species, and other factors. However, to clear up confusion on the trees we DO buy and help you determine whether what you have on your property is of significant value, we’ve put together a guide to help kick off your potential timber sale.

Below is a simple and convenient visual guide to aid our clients in identifying the primary marketable species of timber on their property. This guide is meant to be a quick and easy reference to aid in basic identification and is in no way definitive. After identifying the tree species on your property, Walnut Timber Buyers can determine their approximate market value with help from our tree appraisal experts.

All the information below is from the University of Illinois “Forest Trees of Illinois.”

Mohlenbrock, R. H. (2006). Forest Trees of Illinois. Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources.

Black Walnut

Distinguishing Features: Black walnut is recognized by its characteristic buds; light brown, chambered pith; and distinctive fruits. The terminal leaflet is lacking or very small.

Popular Uses: Illinois’s most valuable hardwood species; high-quality lumber, face veneer, furniture, flooring, gunstocks, cabinets, wall paneling, interior finishings, turned products, novelties, carvings and firewood.

White Oak

Distinguishing Features: White oak is recognized by its grayish bark and 7 to 9 round lobed, smooth leaves, which are usually whitish on the lower surface. Its oblong greenish brown, shiny acorns also are distinctive.

Popular Uses: A prized timber species; high-quality lumber, face veneer, furniture, pulpwood, cabinets, flooring, paneling, interior finishing, railroad crossties, tight cooperage (whisky and wine barrels), general construction, novelties, boxes, crates, blocking, pallets, and firewood.

Northern Red Oak

Distinguishing Features: The acorn, with its very shallow, saucer-shaped cap, is the best identifying characteristic of northern red oak. The leaves are generally more shallowly lobed than those of black oak, southern red oak, and scarlet oak.

Popular Uses: A prized timer species; high-quality lumber, face veneer, furniture, pulpwood, cabinets, flooring, paneling, interior finishing, railroad crossties, slack cooperage, general construction, mine timbers, fence posts, novelties, boxes, crates, blocking, pallets, and firewood.

Burr Oak

Distinguishing Features: Bur oak leaves are distinctive because they are very broad in the upper half, with a pair of deep sinuses a little below the middle. The large, fringed acorn cups also are a prominent feature.

Popular Uses: A valuable timber species; high-quality lumber, face veneer, furniture, pulpwood, cabinets, flooring, paneling, interior finishing, railroad crossties, tight cooperage, general construction, mine timber, fence posts, novelties, boxes, crates, blocking, pallets, and firewood.

Ash

Distinguishing Features: Light or dark gray bark with diamond-shaped furrows between flat-topped, sometimes scaly ridges.

Popular Uses: A valuable timber species; lumber, veneer, furniture, pulpwood, cabinets, flooring, interior finishings, slack cooperage, baseball bats, handle stock, oars, railroad crossties pallets, blacking and firewood; widely planted as an ornamental tree.

Sugar or Hard Maple

Distinguishing Features: Sugar Maple differs from black maple by its leaves and twigs. Sugar maple leaves do not have stipules at the base of their petioles. Sugar maple twigs are usually shinier, with smooth winter buds.

Popular Uses: A valuable timber species; high-quality lumber, face veneer, furniture, baseball bats, cabinets, flooring, paneling, interior finishing, railroad crossties, woodenware, novelties, butcher’s blocks, boxes, crates, handles, sporting and athletic goods, musical instruments, maple syrup, blocking, pallets, and firewood.

Silver or Soft Maple

Distinguishing Features: The deeply lobed leaves, which are silvery white on the lower surface, vest distinguish this tree.

Popular Uses: Lumber, veneer, furniture, pulpwood, cabinets, railroad crossties, flooring, maple syrup, pallets, blocking, and firewood.

Bitternut Hickory

Distinguishing features: Bitternut hickory is easily recognized by its slender, mustard yellow buds. It differs further from other hickories by its rounded fruits.

Popular Uses: A valuable timber species; tool handles, lumber, veneer, furniture, pulpwood, cabinets, flooring, interior finishings, pallets, blocking, smoking meats, and firewoods.

Shagbark Hickory

Distinguishing features: Shagbark hickory is distinguished by its shaggy bark, its usually five large leaflets, and its large winter buds.

Popular Uses: A valuable timber species; tool handles, lumber, veneer, furniture, pulpwood, cabinets , flooring, interior finishings, agricultural implements, baseball bats, gymnasium apparatus, patterns, blocking, smoking meats, and firewood

Talk with the Timber Experts at Walnut Timber Buyers

Once you have an idea of the trees on your property, allow Walnut Timber Buyers to provide you with a proper tree appraisal. After we determine the market value of your trees, we assist with the harvest, transportation, processing and sale of timber. Seek the answers you need for other important questions on our FAQ page, or contact us at 309-204-9325.