Show walnut wood of ancient tree weighs over 31 tons chico calif one of the largest walnut trees ever grown in the united states has just passed from the yard of dr H L voorhees here to the veneer factory the tree was its own undoing because it grew so big that it endangered dang ered the house which for more than half a century previously it had merely shaded gen john bidwell is credited with having planted the tree in 1871 although big offers had been made for it by veneer houses and other concerns dealing extensively in walnut wood all offers were refused until it became imperative to fell the tree the purchaser was finally a wood mosaic factory at louisville ky the cutting down of the tree and its removal without taking the house with it constituted a ticklish job when the job was done it was found that the trunk and limbs weighed pounds or 30 vz tons from the stump the trunk and all limbs measuring 14 inches and more in diameter it was possible to obtain square feet of veneer of varying the tree contained more than board feet as compared with the average of to feet which the usual american walnut tree yields A complete history of the tree has been written and published |