What Wood is Available ?

[Larry Frank]

I was talking to a friend who has quite a few acres of oaks in northern Indiana. He mentioned the battle that he has been fighting to save his oaks from Oak Wilt. I guess that I had never heard of it and so looked it up to find the location of the problem and how big it is. I was shocked as it spreads from Texas north throughout the US and is killing thousands of trees each year. It is fungus like and spreads either through insects going tree to tree or through the ground between trees where the roots from adjacent trees meet and join.

Red Oak is my favorite wood to build furniture and cabinets. This information was scary to me.

In my area we also have the emerald ash borer is going to kill all of the ash trees. Ash is also one of my favorites for drawers and other things…it is relatively cheap, is available in wide boards and has what I think is an interesting grain.

The tragedy is that there are many things killing our trees with quite a few being various type of fungus.

Listing just a few of the various trees diseases and insects -

Chestnut blight
Dutch Elm Disease
Emerald Ash Borer
Oak Wilt
Sudden Oak Death in California
Anthracnose diseases
A whole number of disease on pine trees
Beech Bark Disease
Aspen Canker

In 20-30 years, what woods will be available to woodworkers and at what cost? It is unlikely to cause my generation too much problem but the following ones could have shortages and high costs. Is enough being done to fight the diseases? With the spread of the diseases, I would say that a lot more has to be done.

[Kevin Bourque]

Ash borer beetles are a big problem here in SE Pa. Who knows how long it will be until we lose all the ash trees just like we lost the chestnuts.

[Brian Elfert]

Oak Wilt is a problem in Minnesota too. You're not supposed to prune oaks in May or June in Minnesota because the insects that carry the disease can easily infect the tree. I've even heard not to prune oaks from April through July. The absolute best time they say to prune oak trees is winter.

[Brian Tymchak]

throw in the Asian Long-horned Beetle that's killing all the trees that the EAB is leaving behind. like the EAB, it is assumed that came in on some wood crates.

And add the Wooly Adelgid that's taking out the Hemlock on the East Coast.

[Peter Kelly]

Great time to plant some of the aforementioned trees.

There are some more disease-resistant Elm and (supposedly) Chestnut cultivars out there. I have read that if you plant in an area outside of the American Chestnut's original native habitat, they might have a better chance of surviving. I think the largest stand is currently in Wisconsin.

Will be planting some of these next weekend: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana_%27Valley_Forge%27

[Tom Fischer]

Here in NW NJ, black walnuts are very hardy. Have never one even seen sickly.
Some are "four footers" (wide) on the state land.
Smaller ones, straight as an arrow, 30' up.
White ash are pretty strong too.