Straight bolts of nut and fruit wood don't have the unstable characteristics of wood from orchard trees which which have much tension wood. Nevertheless, problems remain. There is always the risk of crop failure due to late spring frosts that kill reproductive tissues, summer droughts that reduce the size of nuts and fruit, or extremely cold winter temperatures that kill trees outright. Insects and diseases are always threats. Damage by deer and mice can be a problem, particularly in the early years of a planting although tree shelters can minimize the risk.
Squirrels are always a problem with nut trees.
Marketing non-traditional foods can be a problem since local markets can only absorb so much production. Competition with low cost nuts and fruit from all over the world are a problem although northern nuts have the advantage of better taste due to the higher oil content. There is a paucity of good yield information for particular cultivars under a range of growing conditions. Small-scale nut harvesting operation at Ernie Grimo's orchard in southern Ontario. It takes many years to produce even a short sawlog and little is known about growing nut and fruitwoods primarily for this purpose.