Firearms manufacturers value walnut in making gunstocks. Many gunstocks

Firearms manufacturers value walnut in making gunstocks. Many gunstocks are made from the roots where unusual patterns in the wood's grain are found. It is good for gunstocks not only for its beauty but also since it is rated “excellent” in its ability to absorb recoil better than most other woods. Also, it does not shrink, crack, or warp with age.

The tree has been used historically for a wide variety of other purposes. Early pioneers used the inner bark to make a mild laxative and a leaf tea was used against bed bugs. The husk of the nut was considered useful in treating intestinal worms, ulcers, and syphilis. The fruit juice was drunk as a tapeworm treatment and gargled to treat diptheria.

Trappers also boil their traps in a walnut husk solution to remove all traces of foreign odor. Extractions from the husk and bark have historically been used to produce green, brown and black dyes. Oddly enough, the tree cannot be used for pulpwood since the dark wood is too difficult to bleach in making paper.

One of the most unusual attributes of black walnut is its ability to inhibit the growth of other plants and the germination of their seeds. Most gardeners know that you just cannot grow much under a walnut tree. The reason in Juglone. This is a chemical found in walnut tree roots, bark, leaves, and husks. This chemical is usually found in the soil from the base of the tree out to the drip line. The only alternatives are to move the garden or cut down the tree.

As you can see, black walnut has been and always will be an important part of our Virginia landscape.

Mr. Kline is the Virginia Department of Forestry’s Area Forester for Rappahannock and Madison counties. Readers with questions about this article or other forestry-related subjects may contact him in, Madison at 948-5341. '