PECAN
Pecan trees have been very important to our local farming community. They reach maturity at about twelve years old and can live as long as 300 years! Non-grafted seedlings and native pecan trees often take 10 to 15 years to begin to produce fruit. Grafted varieties produce fruit in 5-10 years depending on variety.
The pecan tree can grow to massive sizes under the right conditions. It is an important species in the United States and elsewhere in regard to the tasty nuts it produces. The Pecan tree comes from the same family of trees as the Black Walnut and the Hickories. Some Pecan trees under perfect conditions can grow to heights of about 180 feet, with a 7-foot in diameter trunk. However, most are much smaller, with the average pecan tree in the 70- to 100-foot range and possessing a 3-foot wide base. Pecan has slightly lower strength values than some of the other species of Hickory, but it is still among the hardest and strongest of woods native to the United States. The wood is commonly used where strength or shock-resistance is important.