Getting rid of black walnut trees

[fordtraktor]

i am hoping to fence in two additional paddocks. One, however, has about 15 blank walnut trees currently standing.

Obviously I won’t be fencing it for horses for years…but how can I get rid of the black walnut toxicity so that the decade plan can include those areas? I do NOT want to risk horse health. Now the plan is to fence the other half without any Bw trees, but if I can cut down the BWs and have it safe in, say, 5 years I would like to utilize all the land available.

thanks for any advice.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I am probably misinformed, but I thought it was Black Walnut shavings that caused poisoning (laminates) in horses - not the actual trees themselves.

[cutter99]

The leaves themselves are toxic as well as the shavings.

Can you contact your local extension agent to see what they recommend? What about removing the trees and stumps, then a controlled burn of the area?

[walkinthewalk]

, I have a few ancient black walnut trees the horses can get to since we have lived here – without issue.

if the trees bother you that much, look into the possibility of having someone log them out. Healthy black walnut is probably still a commodity. Since you want rid of them at any cost, I would offer them free for cutting and removal.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Me too @walkinthewalk . Had the Ag extension and queried the USDA (as well as my vet) when we first moved to our farm regarding our pastures and toxic plants & trees, etc. I specifically asked about the Walnut in our back paddock and no one said it was toxic and that I should chop it down. I have had no issues with my horses/goats and the Walnut tree in 16 years.

As it happens, a Master Forester from the Forestry Dept. is coming in the AM to discuss forest management with us. I plan to speak to him about our Walnut tree (we have many - but just one in a pasture). I get that things change in 16 years… guess I should read more. :o

[cutter99]

https://thehorse.com/18073/will-black-walnuts-hurt-horses/

https://ker.com/equinews/black-walnut-toxicosis-horses-fact-fiction/

http://www.horsedvm.com/poisonous/black-walnut/

[skydy]

@4LeafCloverFarm

I am probably misinformed, but I thought it was Black Walnut shavings that caused poisoning (laminates) in horses - not the actual trees themselves.

I think you are correct.

The only problem I had with the black walnut trees in our pasture was one mare picking up the walnuts, chewing off the rind and subsequently colicing (but not being poisoned). We put fencing around the tree, made sure we picked up any stray nuts when it was walnut season, and everyone was fine. She was the only one that seemed to find the rind tasty. No other horses found the walnuts of any interest whatsoever. She would eat anything.:eek:

Our local bulk shavings provider was well aware that walnut shavings could not be used for horse bedding, and that was 30 years ago.

If you, OP, are terribly worried then I would advertise the wood for sale. It makes lovely furniture and shelves etc…

[Callista17]

Same here. I was concerned about them, but knock on wood…
I have had offers to cut down a few trees for $1k, but I’ve been told and offered $3k per tree, so becareful of being low balled.

[B_and_B]

If they are sawtimber size (12 inch diameter plus at breast height ‘dbi’) and prumed up with clean trunks for at least eight feet, they may well be worth someone’s time to cut them down as it sounds like you have enough and they aren’t in a backyard… I’ve seen people actually advertise standing black walnut successfully for bids on Craigslist. As for getting rid of the stumps, not sure. But I would think if you ground them several years before you put horses in the area it would be fine…

[fordtraktor]

Hmm, so it sounds like if I leave the trees alone they may be just fine? That would sure be nice. It is a large field and won’t be used unless there is ample grass so I am not that worried about horses gnawing on the trees

[ejm]

Depending on where the trees are located in the field and the particular group of horses you would pasture there, you could put up a tree box or temporary electric stand-off. I wouldn’t suggest electric tape for young horses or horses straight off the track, but as my horses are getting older, they are very respectful of a hot wire.

So far as gnawing on trees, that may depend on boredom or mischief as much as hunger - we had a couple of minor colics when a 5yo and a yearling decided to chow down on a poplar tree in a very lush grass paddock. We put up a tree box after that episode.

[syreino]

I have black walnut trees in one of my pastures, and when we were clearing we cut down many trees in the other pastures. I did nothing different with those trees, or the land short of selling the wood and having the stumps ground then working the land until it was ready to till and plant grass seed (like I did with all other trees). I have never had issues with the trees (I have 3 in one pasture) and horses. Where I boarded prior to moving to my farm had black walnut trees around too - no issues. I’ve been here 15 years and have had a total of 5 horses of mine and three others over those years with no ill effect. This pasture is their least favorite (lack of shade, specifically why I left the trees) and there is always plenty of grass so they aren’t looking for additional food from trees, etc.

[Mango20]

I’ve never been able to find a real answer as to how long any black walnut shavings would be toxic if you cut them down. I have quite a few large black walnut trees in my pasture, and so far have left them up since it seems safer than trying to cut them down. The horses have coexisted with the trees for 18 years now. They have never even considered gnawing on these trees, their leaves, or nuts. It’s not that they’re just non-destructive horses - they have gone to town on tulip poplar and oak trees over the years (oddly, they never chew on the apple trees either).

[goodhors]

Most horses seem to know which trees and plants are harmful, so they leave them alone as long as there is other food to eat. Milkweed are poison, yet seldom do well-fed horses bother eating them. It is the same with black walnut trees in large grassy pastures being ignored by most horses.

Any part of the Black Walnut contains jugalone, the “poison” that affect horses. Parts include leaves, bark, nuts, wood or sawdust made from their wood. It takes very little sawdust to get reactions going in a horse, to cause laminitis episodes, colic as mentioned above. My friend got some free sawdust, forgot to ask about BW, had her horse founder thru sawdust on hooves. Horse absorbed the jugalone in her hooves, causing the body reaction.

Not sure how long jugalone would last in the soil after cutting the trees. You might be able to vacuum up sawdust right after the tree was cut and it was in a pile. Same with chipping away the stumps, perhaps the pieces could be vacuumed up and removed from the field.

[clanter]

if horses ran over to eat a black walnut tree or nuts there would not be a horse in Kentucky as Black Walnut trees are everywhere

here we have to be watch for oleander as it is deadly… it way beyond just toxic … horses during droughts may be temped to nibble on the bush, some have been found dead with just what’s in their mouth … oleander is purposely planted as an ornamental and people have no idea how deadly the plant is

[Obsidian_Fire]

Black Walnut can also be toxic to plants growing around it. So I would wonder, if you cut them down and ground the stumps, if you could even get grass to grow for years to come?
Knowing that, if getting rid of them was a “must” I would pull the stumps, not grind them, and burn them or otherwise dispose of them.

[BlueDrifter]

If these were grown for crop at one time, could they be grafted? The walnut trees at our barn are black walnut on the bottom, but English walnut (?) as the fruit. Horses don’t seem interested in them.

[longlanefarm]

I have several in my pasture as well. I was nervous about them when we moved to this farm but my vet said it’s nothing to worry about so we left them. I’ve never seen the horses nibble on them or anything. I think they’ll just stay put, so much less work and hassle too.

[Holly_Jeanne]

I had several in pastures when I moved in. 18 1/2 years with no problems.

[JanWeber]

I, too, had black walnut trees on my property. They were lining the fence line in an upper pasture. No problems for years - until my daughter’s retired upper-level event horse came in with laminitis on all four feet. We were stumped and so was the vet. We thought she was tying up because she wouldn’t move and it is really rare to be lame on ALL four feet. We saved her and shut off that pasture until my tee guys could come. They took down 12 trees, pick up the nuts, raked the leaves, ground the stumps, and shoveled off the dirt containing any shavings. I still don’t trust it - but will re-open again this summer.