The sapwood is an approximately constant radial dimension over the life of the tree once it gets big enough to form heartwood. Sufficiently old trees are more h

The sapwood is an approximately constant radial dimension over the life of the tree once it gets big enough to form heartwood. Sufficiently old trees are more heartwood by percentage than sapwood. For hardwoods, it's typically the heartwood that's more desirable. Walnut and cherry both have pretty strongly contrasting sapwood that does not match the customer's expectation for the color of those woods, for instance.