Black Walnut Tree Value: Price Per Tree, Log and MBF (2026)
Black walnut is priced per thousand board feet (MBF), not per tree. The Illinois DNR survey for Q3-4 2025 averaged $1,710 per MBF for walnut sawlog stumpage and $3,610 for veneer, and Missouri reports averaged $2,658 per MBF for northern sawlogs in early 2026. A single yard tree is usually worth far less than those headlines. This guide covers grade tables, a worked per-tree estimate, and how to get an appraisal.
What Determines a Black Walnut Tree’s Value
Best Tree Diameter Tape Pick
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Forestry Suppliers English Diameter Tape, 76 in, Model 343D ($39.95) Diameter at breast height (DBH) is the first number every timber estimate in this guide needs, and this tape reads it directly in inches and tenths when you wrap it around the trunk 4.5 feet up.
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Two black walnut trees of the same age can be worth very different amounts, because buyers grade the logs inside the tree rather than the tree you see from the yard. According to Ohio DNR Division of Forestry, “Is Your Yard Tree Worth Money?”, the main price factors are the grade of the logs and how accessible the tree is. Log grade comes from the diameter at the small end of each log and the number, size and position of defects.
| Factor | What the Ohio DNR sheet says | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter (DBH) | Trees under 18 inches DBH have little value as timber | Bigger logs hold more board feet and qualify for higher grades |
| Clear trunk length | A log is at least 8 feet long with no major branches; veneer needs no limbs or limb scars for 8 feet, preferably 10 | Every clear 8-foot section is another log to sell |
| Straightness and rot | Veneer trees are very straight with no significant crooks, bends or bows, and no rot | Bends and rot drop a log out of the veneer class |
| Foreign objects | Nails, wire, hooks or cement in the trunk can ruin a saw blade or veneer knife | Buyers discount or refuse yard trees because of this |
| Growing site | Open-grown trees have more sapwood and looser grain than forest-grown trees | Dark heartwood and tight grain are what veneer buyers pay for |
| Access and removal | Buildings or lines on more than two sides usually push removal cost above the wood value | Net payment is the log value minus the cost of getting it out |
Ohio DNR suggests calling a forester when a tree is a commercially valuable species with more than 500 board feet or over 18 inches DBH. That gives you a practical screening rule before you spend time on appraisals.
Black Walnut Timber Prices by Grade (2026)
Prices below are the most recent state reports I could read directly, all quoted per thousand board feet (MBF). Stumpage is what a landowner is paid for standing timber; delivered prices are what a mill pays for logs at its gate. If the MBF unit is new to you, our guides on calculating the value of timber and what a board foot is explain it.
| Report and period | Product | Low | Average | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois DNR, Q3-4 2025 | Sawlog stumpage | $300 | $1,710 | $2,500 |
| Illinois DNR, Q3-4 2025 | Veneer stumpage | $1,100 | $3,610 | $6,000 |
| Illinois DNR, Q3-4 2025 | Sawlog delivered to mill | $500 | $2,700 | $5,000 |
| Illinois DNR, Q3-4 2025 | Veneer delivered to mill | $4,000 | $5,100 | $6,000 |
| Missouri MDC, Jan.-Mar. 2026 (north region) | Sawlogs, Doyle MBF | $1,440 | $2,658 | $4,272 |
| Missouri MDC, Jan.-Mar. 2026 (north region) | Veneer, Doyle MBF | $3,000 | $3,828 | $4,200 |
| Missouri MDC, Oct.-Dec. 2025 (north region) | Sawlogs, Doyle MBF | $1,500 | $2,764 | $4,272 |
| Missouri MDC, Oct.-Dec. 2025 (north region) | Veneer, Doyle MBF | $3,588 | $3,799 | $4,200 |
Sources: Illinois DNR Timber Price Survey, Q3-4 2025; Missouri Department of Conservation Timber Price Trends, Jan.-Mar. 2026 and Oct.-Dec. 2025. The Missouri pages do not say whether the figures are stumpage or delivered, so read them as the going range foresters reported rather than what a landowner nets. Averages are rounded to the nearest dollar. The Missouri veneer averages rest on only 6 reports in Jan.-Mar. 2026 and 3 in Oct.-Dec. 2025, so treat them as thin data.
Per Board Foot: Logs Are Not Lumber
Divide any MBF figure by 1,000 to get a per board foot price: Illinois sawlog stumpage averaged about $1.71 per board foot and veneer stumpage about $3.61. This is where most pages mislead. Those are prices for logs before sawing, drying and handling. One Ohio sawmill posts 4/4 select and better kiln-dried black walnut lumber at $5.25 per board foot on its own price page (undated, checked October 2026), and retail prices for the same lumber vary by seller, so do not mix log and lumber numbers when estimating what a tree is worth.
Long-run perspective: prime-grade black walnut sawlogs averaged $176 per MBF in 1957 and $1,035 in 1994, according to Purdue Extension FNR-148, Predicting Black Walnut Log Prices. That series stops in 1994, so use it only for the long trend, not for today’s price.
How Much Is One Black Walnut Tree Worth? A Worked Example
Ohio DNR publishes a standing-tree volume table (Doyle rule) by 2-inch DBH class and number of 8-foot logs. Multiplying those board-foot volumes by the Illinois sawlog stumpage range gives a realistic per-tree estimate. This is my own arithmetic, not a quoted appraisal, and the Illinois survey does not state which log rule its prices use, so treat the result as an order-of-magnitude guide.
| DBH class | 8-ft logs | Board feet (Doyle) | At $300/MBF | At $1,710/MBF (avg) | At $2,500/MBF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 in | 2 | 100 | $30 | $171 | $250 |
| 24 in | 2 | 220 | $66 | $376 | $550 |
| 24 in | 4 | 360 | $108 | $616 | $900 |
| 30 in | 2 | 380 | $114 | $650 | $950 |
| 30 in | 4 | 630 | $189 | $1,077 | $1,575 |
The volumes come from the Ohio DNR table; the dollar columns multiply them by the Illinois Q3-4 2025 sawlog stumpage low, average and high.
Here is the myth this table corrects. Many pages say a walnut tree can be worth $5,000 or more. Run the same math for veneer: at the Illinois veneer stumpage average of $3,610 per MBF, a 30-inch tree with four logs would bring about $2,274 even if every log graded veneer, which is very unlikely. Reaching roughly $5,000 would take about 1,385 board feet of veneer, which is a 42-inch DBH tree with four logs (1,370 board feet in the Ohio DNR table) with every log at veneer grade. Ohio DNR describes veneer trees as uncommon even in ideal growing conditions and extremely rare in yard settings.
Why a Yard Tree Usually Brings Less
Ohio DNR lists the reasons log buyers are cautious about yard trees: embedded nails, clothesline, hooks or fence wire; felling hazards such as fences and power lines; and the high cost of moving large equipment to a yard rather than a woodland. A purple or black spot on a cut log end can indicate metal in the tree, though some hardware leaves no visible mark.
- Do not cut it up first. Ohio DNR says some value is lost if logs are cut at the wrong place or length, so let the buyer cut the logs.
- Hire the right crew near buildings. Veneer buyers and loggers usually will not remove trees near buildings; a certified arborist is the safer choice.
- Think hobbyists. Yard trees that mills pass on can still interest hobby woodworkers, and Ohio DNR notes that custom sawyers or portable sawmill owners can saw the logs for a fee or a share of the lumber.
If the wood is for your own projects, see our notes on what separates black walnut from other walnuts before you plan around the board count. If you are weighing a different species, compare our pages on what an oak tree is worth and how to value a standing ash tree.
How to Get Your Black Walnut Tree Appraised
Before you contact any buyer, work through the four steps Ohio DNR outlines for yard trees:
- Estimate removal cost and logistics: structures or lines within a distance equal to the tree height raise the cost, and structures on more than two sides usually push removal above the wood value.
- Check for foreign objects: look for nails, wire or distorted bark and examine any cut end for dark spots.
- Determine defects: knots, seams, scars, cracks and bark distortions disqualify a log from veneer and cut its value.
- Determine potential volume: measure circumference at 4.5 feet, divide by 3.1416 for DBH (Ohio DNR’s example: 56 inches around is 17.8 inches, which falls in the 18-inch class), then estimate clear trunk length in 8-foot logs and look up board feet in the Doyle table.
A diameter tape does the division for you, but it is not required. Once you have rough numbers, bring in a professional. Ohio State University Extension, “Getting the most return from your timber sale” (Heiligmann and Bratkovich) reports that landowners who sell with a professional forester receive more money, and it recommends written sealed bids from several buyers and a written timber sale contract.
Where to Find a Forester and What to Ask
Ohio DNR points landowners to certified foresters listed at osafdirectory.com and acf-foresters.org, and to the OSU Extension list of portable sawmill services at woodlandstewards.osu.edu. Ask any forester for the log rule used (Doyle, Scribner or International), whether the quote is stumpage or delivered, and who pays for removal and cleanup. Those three answers explain most price gaps between offers.
Planting for future timber is a different decision. Our pages on how big a walnut grows and the walnut wood hub at walnut wood cover size and species, and black walnut roots and leaves affect nearby plants, so check whether walnut trees kill nearby plants before you choose a site.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a black walnut tree worth?
It depends on grade and volume, not on the tree alone. Using Ohio DNR’s volume table and Illinois DNR’s Q3-4 2025 stumpage range of $300 to $2,500 per MBF, a 24-inch tree with four 8-foot logs works out to roughly $108 to $900, with about $616 at the state average. Only exceptional veneer trees are worth thousands.
How much is black walnut worth per board foot?
Standing timber averaged about $1.71 per board foot in Illinois (Q3-4 2025 sawlog stumpage of $1,710 per MBF), and veneer stumpage averaged $3.61. Those are log prices, not lumber prices. Kiln-dried lumber costs far more per board foot because milling, drying and handling are added.
What makes a black walnut tree veneer quality?
Per Ohio DNR, a veneer tree is very straight and tall with no significant crooks, bends or bows, no rot, and no limbs or limb scars for at least 8 feet, preferably 10 feet. Trees under 18 inches DBH have little timber value, and open-grown yard trees are rarely veneer quality.
Is it worth selling one black walnut yard tree?
Often not to a commercial mill. Ohio DNR says log buyers are reluctant to buy yard trees because of embedded nails and wire, and removal near buildings or power lines can cost more than the wood is worth. Hobby woodworkers and portable sawmill owners are more realistic buyers for a single yard tree.
How do I find out what my walnut tree is worth?
Measure DBH, estimate the length of clear trunk in 8-foot logs, check for metal and defects, then call a certified forester. Ohio DNR points to osafdirectory.com and acf-foresters.org. Ohio State University Extension recommends collecting written sealed bids from several buyers rather than accepting one offer.
Conclusion
Most black walnut yard trees are worth a few hundred dollars at best, and the worked table shows why: value is board feet times grade price, and board feet only get large with diameter and clear length. Measure DBH, count clear 8-foot logs, check for metal, and get a certified forester to collect sealed bids before you cut or sign anything.
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