Jim Lewis wrote:

I am getting my plans ready to go collecting tree this
winter. The problem is that I don't know what to
expect when I go collecting. Sometimes I wonder what
kind of animal I will meet (no wolfs or bears,
please). I also find it hard to go collecting when
there is no leaves to identify the tree. I was hoping
to go with Mike Hanson this winter but I don't know
how that will turn out. I live down here in central
Texas and they have wonderful lacebark elm, cedar elm,
river birch, Texas ebony, and oaks that I wish to
acquire this winter.

snip

I recommend that you go with at least one experienced collector,
one who can tell you which trees are collectible and which are
not -- either because the site is impossible to collect from or
the species is one that a beginner shouldn't tackle.

Definitely go with an experienced collector. There is nothing more discouraging
than collecting a really nice tree, having absolutely no idea of how to collect it,
or to care for it after you've dug it up, and having it die. Because I started
collecting on my own with nobody to help me I killed a number of trees before I
figured out how to do it properly. Another good thing would to be go off-season
when the trees still have leaves to make identification easier. Bring a good tree
id book. You could tag the trees with surveyor's tape or something else.

Old timers on this list (and readers of ABS's Bonsai Journal)
know my position on the ethics of collecting.

I guess if I know your position on the ethics of collecting that makes me an
old-timer? ;0}

Unfortunately,
people keep telling me of bonsaiests who appear to have no ethics
and who collect wherever they please and whatever they please --
including on protected lands out west and the taking of trees
that should not be taken.

Getting permission is paramount. I've collected a few roadside trees without
permission--all on my street, by the way, and on a section of shoulder that is
going to be widened next year, but the bulk of my collected trees have all been
collected on private land with permission. It's a lot more fun to collect with
permission because you don't have to look over your shoulder to see if the park
ranger or state police are taking special interest in what you're doing. If this
is corporate land, as Jim mentioned, there are also liability issues for the
owner. It may well be that you could get in and out with a few nice trees, but on
the off chance that someone caught you, you could end up with a big price tag and
no trees for your effort.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a
Sunset 37

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