The Shagbark Hickory Tree

The shagbark hickory tree is easy to identify by its long, loose, gray bark. Its leaves are alternate and compound with five or seven leaflets. Shagbark hickory prefers rich, moist soil and is often found with oak trees. The nuts have thick husks and the meats are sweet and edible, being the hickory nuts occasionally found in stores. Wildlife, especially squirrels, relish the nuts as well. Hickory Creek Wilderness Area in Warren County has wonderful forests full of shagbark hickory and the Fallingwater Museum Shop sells a very popular shagbark hickory syrup.

Shagbark hickory is slow-growing but often grows to 70 or 80 feet tall and several feet in diameter. In the open, unrestricted by competition from other trees, shagbark hickory can grow to 100 feet tall with a canopy stretching 40 feet. Its cut timber is prized for making tool handles, athletic equipment, furniture, construction timbers, and firewood. Its "green" wood (or sometimes seasoned but freshly-wetted wood chips) is also sought after for smoking meats, especially pork.. The shagbark hickory is distinctive and easy for most people to pick out with its shaggy bark, which peels in long, wide, thick strips from the trunk and branches, giving it the alternative common name of scalybark hickory. Its bold-textured, jagged branch structure and thick twigs give it a striking appearance in winter. The shagbark hickory as well as other hickories, pecans and walnuts are part of the walnut family.

Reference: Department of Natural Resources

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