In the future, he believes the price of carefully grown black walnut timber can only increase. A study comparing the costs and returns of black walnut to Douglas Fir, the Northwest's most common timber species, as farm tree crops was prepared in 1992 by a private forester. Intercropping Agroforestry could make the economics of black walnut culture more attractive in the Northwest as it has done in the Midwest. Many possibilities are being demonstrated locally through the efforts of Peter Kenagy, Joe Lowe and others in the Walnut Council. While cattle are likely to cause damage by rubbing the trees, it may be possible to graze sheep on grass-clover pasture sown in strips between the tree rows.
Nut production is an important source of early returns in many black walnut plantings.
However, most of the hybrid walnuts now planted in Oregon are not good edible nut producers because of difficulties with meat extraction, according to Gary Goby. Some thin-shelled varieties, e.g. 'Cooksie,' are grown commercially in the state. Goby believes that the threat of blackline disease, which ruins timber quality, precludes the possibility of high-grafting English walnut varieties to hybrid black walnut rootstock for a combination of nuts and timber. As with any tree crop, careful selection of seed source is a prerequisite to success. A diverse genetic base exists in Oregon, including hybrid crosses and the pure parent species, J. nigra and hindsii.