Mike,

Please listen to all the advice you've seen in response to your question.
However, as a newbie, I had the opportunity to collect as many trees as I
wanted to last year about this time from an area that was going to be clear
cut. If you go into the archives and find some of the posts in response to
my questions, they should help you. For example, have a good idea of the
species you want prior to going out - of course you might luck onto
something totally different once you are out there, but have something in
mind. One of those posts in the archive listed a whole bunch of trees that
generally do well when collected (I am in NE Ohio, so the species should be
similar to what you will fine). A couple of the posts also list some books
that could assist you - many of which are available in the library!!! Check
out a couple, because species of trees (for most of us) are difficult to
recognize without their leaves. Finally, one piece of advice gleaned from
experience and which no one else gave you....take into consideration how far
and over what type of terrain you will have to carry your prize(s). The
biggest one I collected last spring was, of course, the longest from the
car. It took my son and I a couple of hours to carry it back to the car and
we were both ready to drop when we finally made it. Dirt is heavy! So are
thick trunks. Be prepared.

Good luck - hope you find something nice and, after following everyone's
advice, are able to successfully keep it alive.

Jeff Isom
Cleveland, OH / Sunset Zone 39

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