How intensively you manage the black walnut plantation depends on your objectives, time available, resources, and plantation size. Unlike site selection, management of black walnut is flexible, and many methods are available for managing the stand. Only basic methods are covered here.
Thinning, pruning, and other cultural practices are affected by your choice of initial spacing. With wide spacing, thinning is not needed. On the other hand, close spacing may increase your costs unnecessarily by having to remove non-marketable trees.

The need for pruning is also influenced by spacing. With fewer trees per acre, the trees are more "open grown" which results in large lower limbs that must be pruned if quality wood products are your objective.
With more trees per acre, the need for pruning may be lessened by trees shading each other, which reduces the growth of lower branches. Also, mechanical weed control and fertilization are easier with a wider spacing.
If you produce both nuts and logs, you must trade off some nut production for lumber production. You'll do different production activities for sawn products and veneer than you would if you were growing and managing the trees for nuts. Fertilization, pruning, thinning, and weed control and insect control will differ.