Common Names:   Black willow Dudley willow Goodding willow Sauce Saule Sauz Southwestern black willow Swamp willow Weide Western black willow Wilg Willow Purchase Willow

Mechanical Values

Environmental Profile
Black willow is rather widespread, abundant, and secure globally, although it may be rare at the periphery in parts of its range (Source - The Nature Conservancy -Rank of relative endangerment based primarily on the number of occurrences of the species globally).

Distribution
This species is reported to occur in New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. It often occurs in pure stands and with cottonwoods, and prefers wet soils of banks of streams and lakes, particularly flood plains.

Product Sources
It is not known at present whether some material from this species is obtainable from sustainably managed, salvaged, recycled, or other environmentally responsible sources.

Black willow is reported to be available in large quantities on the commercial market.

Tree Data
Size is reported to vary considerably, and depends upon where the tree is growing. Trees growing in the Mississippi Valley are reported to reach heights of 140 feet (43 m) and diameters of 48 inches (120 cm). Average tree heights are 60 to 100 feet (18 to 30 m), with a diameter of 18 to 30 inches (50 to 80 cm). The tree may have more than one straight and often leaning trunk. 

Sapwood Color
The sapwood is typically creamy white or yellow. The width is variable.

Heartwood Color
The heartwood is typically gray or reddish brown with dark streaks.

Grain
Grain is somewhat interlocked. 

Texture
The wood is uniformly textured.

Odor
There is no characteristic odor or taste.

Ease of Drying
The wood dries rapidly, although it tends to retain pockets of moisture. Moisture content should be monitored to insure uniformity. Seasoning is also reported to be often accompanied by considerable shrinkage.

Drying Defects
Drying defects that may occur in this species include warp, splits, honeycomb, ring shake, water pockets and collapse. These defects are commonly associated with the presence of wetwood. 

Kiln Schedules
T10-F4 (4/4) ; T8-F3 (8/4) US

Movement in Service
Seasoned wood is reported to be dimensionally stable and hold its place well in use.

T/R Ratio
2.64
This indicator is more meaningful if it is used together with other drying information and actual shrinkage data in the tangential and radial directions. (Refer to the Numerical Values window).

Natural Durability
Natural resistance to attack by decay-causing organisms and other wood destroying insects is rather low, but Willow is reported to have been extensively used to reinforce levees on the banks of the Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri rivers.

Resistance to Impregnation
The heartwood is resistant to preservative treatment, while the sapwood is permeable.

Planing
Willow wood is reported to plane and work rather well with ordinary machine tools but it requires sharp cutting edges to prevent fuzzy surfaces. Reduced cutting angles are recommended for best results.

Turning
Sharp cutting edges are reported to be necessary in most operations, including turning to prevent woolly surfaces.

Carving
Willow is considered to be a good choice for carving because of its resistance to checking after seasoning.

Gluing
Gluing qualities are rated as good.

Screwing
The wood is reported to have good screw-holding qualities.

Sanding
Sanding properties are reported to be generally good.

Polishing
Polishing properties are rated as satisfactory.

Staining
The wood stains easily.

Strength Properties
The species has low bending strength in the air-dry condition. Maximum crushing strength, or compression strength parallel to grain, is also low. Weight is medium. 

Comments
Black willow is reported to be one of the largest and most important New World willows, and is distributed extensively across the United States.