American pecan

American pecan and hickory are different species of a very diverse group, but in the round (log) they are virtually indistinguishable from each other and therefore often processed by saw mills and sold mixed together.

Latin Name

Carya spp.

Other Common Names

May be referred to as pecan hickory

American_pecan_big

Pecan trees grow naturally in the south eastern USA and principally in the Mississippi valley. It is an important fruit-bearing tree and varies in size enormously.

FOREST GROWTH

FIA data shows U.S. pecan growing stock is 46.8 million m3, 0.3% of total U.S. hardwood growing stock. American pecan is growing 931,000 m3 per year while the harvest is 355,000 m3 per year. The net volume (after harvest) is increasing 576,000 m3 each year. U.S. pecan growth considerably exceeds harvest in the four main producing states of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Alabama Arkansas Arizona California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Iowa Idaho Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Maryland Maine Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana North Carolina North Dakota Nebraska New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Nevada New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Vermont Washington Wisconsin West Virginia Wyoming Average annual growth, m3 0 3.5K
Back to whole of U.S. 0-20K 20K-40K 40K-60K 60K-80K 80K-100K 100K-120K > 120K Average annual growth, m3 0 200K
-15K -10K -5K 0 5K 10K 15K 20K 25K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -10K -9K -8K -7K -6K -5K -4K -3K -2K -1K 0 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -2000 -1750 -1500 -1250 -1000 -750 -500 -250 0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ Removals 0 Growth 0 Net growth 0
0 200K 400K 600K 800K 1M 1.2M FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 40K 80K 120K 160K 200K 240K 280K 320K 360K 400K 440K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 100K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 4K 8K 12K 16K 20K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ Forest volume 0

LCA Tool


seconds
it takes seconds to grow 1m³ of
The replacement rate is calculated from total U.S. annual increment of the specified hardwood species derived from the U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and assumes that 2m³ of logs is harvested to produce 1m³ of lumber (i.e. 50% conversion efficiency). The rapid rate of replacement is due to the very large volume of hardwood trees in U.S. forest.

Pecan sawn lumber is available in export grades, but sold unselected for colour and mixed. The NHLA FAS grade permits a minimum width of 4 inches (101.6mm). The lower NHLA grades (1 & 2 Common) can produce an attractive and fashionable rustic look. Lumber is mainly produced in thinner stock (4/4” & 5/4) although a limited amount of thicker material may be available.

The wood of pecan varies greatly in colour, grain pattern and appearance from this very diverse group. It is coarsely textured and the grain is usually straight but can be wavy or irregular. The sapwood is white and maybe tinged with brown, while the heartwood is pale to yellow brown to dark in colour. Deep purple mineral streaks are a natural characteristic. Bird pecks are also a common characteristic and neither is considered a defect.

Mechanical Properties

The wood of pecan is usually considered very strong with excellent stem bending classification, high crushing strength, high stiffness and very high shock resistance.

  • 0.66

    Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)

    737 kg/m3

    Average Weight (12% M.C.)

    N/A

    Average Volume Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.)

    94.462 MPa

    Modulus of Rupture

    11,928 MPa

    Modulus of Elasticity

    54.126 MPa

    Compressive strength (parallel to grain)

    8,095 N

    Hardness
Oiled
pecan_oiled
Un-oiled
pecan_unoiled
  • Pecan is considered to have good machining properties resembling those of hickory but difficult to glue, and is very hard to work with hand tools. It holds nails and screws well but tend to split, so pre-boring is advised. The wood can be sanded, stained and polished to a good finish. It can be readily dried but has fairly high shrinkage.

     
  • The wood is non-resistant to heartwood decay and classed as moderately resistant to preservative treatment.

Furniture, cabinetry, ladder rungs, tool handles dowels and sporting goods. Particularly hockey sticks due to its flexibility.

Tool Handles
Furniture
Cabinets

Examples of Use