Sub-Urban Yamadori

Jay

I thought I'd give you my experiences with collecting in a sub-urban type area. As we all know, we go out looking for that special tree that is perfect! Only needs to go into a pot for a Bonsai. Now, we all know that this isn't the case, but it is what we are shooting for. The needle in the haystack so to speak!

The best places to look for these trees are up high in the mountains... or on rocky ledges.. or by the seashore, or so I believe (corrections desired). Where I live these type areas are few. I live in the Northeast, an hour or two out of the 'Big Apple' and in the middle of the farmland to bedroom neighborhood change.

In the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of walking through a few properties. One the backyard of a friend...on the side of a hill adjoining the Adirondack Trail. The second being a piece of property being developed and soon to be cleared. The third being a very large farm 200 acres or so, that has not been farmed in a long time.

The back yard as you would expect was not very rewarding. The property to be cleared may on a second visit yield some cedar seedlings for a group. The 200 acres gave up to us a couple of Honeysuckles which will be very nice in a couple of years.

My point....I should have a point, is you can look and look and still not find! It gives me greater appreciation for those who have the knowledge, ability and location to find some wonderful Yamadori!

Are there others with stories Lets hear them!

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

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groan

on a few occasions i have come across trees in an area that was to be cleared for construction.

One such tree was a FAT Oak that was continually cut down by a grass trimmer and teh trunk was big (about 4 inches at the base) and had only a few branches growing on it.
it looked healthy but was very sparse and chopped to pieces byt the constant triming.

I had to have it.
I made a few phone calls to teh developers to make sure it was ok to lift it, and DAMN that tree would not give itself up.
You can imagine that the roots from a tree that was in teh ground for a while were DEEP.

well it finally came up with a few roots. This was a rush job as teh developers were slated to tear it up the next day.

I should have stood there while they dug up the ground and got the tree at that time. would have got more of the roots i';m sure because the thing lasted about 3 weeks before going dead.

sad, because it would have been a great tree with a wonderful trunk.

I do urge, when collecting from the suburbs, to make sure you get proper permissions. i had 3 people ask me if i had permission while i was there over the course of 2 hours.

Sigh...

I have collected a few that have lasted ( see my other posts about these trees...somewhere...) and hope to pot these puppies up next year, or at least get them into a workable state.

good luck all!

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Groan
Site Admin for
The Great Canadian Bonsai

Carl_Bergstrom

Good advice. But just in case one forgets to do so...

Did any of those three double-check your story once you said "yes?"

-OMC

(Note: Old Mister Crow is scared #$%#less of cops and therefore does not advocate lawbreaking in any way, shape, or form.)

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In love with trees

freakwent

OMC,
I can just hear the logic from the police officers in some states after they gave you a thorough beat-down and plastered your face on the trunk of the squad car five times… "We thought that tree he was holding was a gun -- and he wouldn't put it down"

Jay

All kidding aside We are kidding? I know you are kidding

OK you're kidding.... But remember.... taking something that does not belong to you is ILLEGAL and getting permission is necessary. If you collect in an area where you may not know to many individuals, written permission is a good thing. Nothing will distroy a good day of collecting like a brush with the law!

If your not sure whats going on, mark the tree, find out who is the owner...private....public land.... and get the permission required. Nothing I have seen is worth the legal trouble!!!!

OK I'm a bit by the book.... sometimes 'it is a good thing'.

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

Carl_Bergstrom

Jay - don't worry - of course I'm kidding. Except for the part about being scared of cops. I'm not kidding one bit about that.



If that's what it takes to avoid a brush with the law, hell yes it's a good thing!

I'm not big on "the rules" per se, but I'm even less fond of explaining my way out of a trip down to the station.

And of course it's unethical to collect something that ain't yours. Unless, of course, you're driving along through the woods and there's a gorgeous little hemlock sapling there and Weyerhauser is about to log the whole damn forest with bulldozers.

Er...I didn't say that. Even then you need permission.

-OMC

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In love with trees

TreeBay

Or buy your own Congressman!

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salix

Hey, it works for Weyerhauser....