Finally found a good legal collecting spot for spruce!

Tycoss

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I have found some decent spruce before, but usually they seem far between, and good areas are often on protected land. A lot are also on very difficult gravelly soil. Last fall, I came upon a place that looked promising.
I came back about a month ago, and found most a lot of stunted spruce over very thin soil that was mostly matted roots.

I took a few home, and they seem to be pushing some new growth quite well. Other lesser trees collected last year from nearby are doing very well. If these do as well, they should make for nice trees, and will each get their own threads.
 

Tycoss

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This first one looks like a real alpine conifer to me. The long bottom branch and direction of the deadwood indicator to me the influence of wind, but not enough to bend the thing over. Thick plated bark, 3’ tall with a 3” trunk
 

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wireme

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Congratulations, all very worthy trees. Good spruce are not that easy to come by and you will just keep finding better and better ones there I’ll bet.

I was driving back and forth last fall for a month and a half, had a Calgary Job. Really wanted to pull over and explore some places but I was always on the road either very early to arrive for a workday or heading home at the end of a day.
 

Tycoss

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Congratulations, all very worthy trees. Good spruce are not that easy to come by and you will just keep finding better and better ones there I’ll bet.

I was driving back and forth last fall for a month and a half, had a Calgary Job. Really wanted to pull over and explore some places but I was always on the road either very early to arrive for a workday or heading home at the end of a day.
I had a really good look around the area, and only took ones I thought were fairly collectable. There are a couple I have my eye on that I’ll need a few hours and one or two more grown men to get out.
 

Potawatomi13

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Very good. A little clean up, some wire, ready made (almost) instant Bonsai;)
 

Tycoss

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Very good. A little clean up, some wire, ready made (almost) instant Bonsai;)
The first one I posted is already very close to the image I have in mind for it. Whenever we go up to that area, my son always hikes up to look at the same lodgepole pine. To me this one looks like “his tree” with the long lower branch and open canopy.EBE0391A-1762-44EE-BF0D-234758C4D36F.jpegFC962C2A-1C3C-4592-BAF8-54C7261C84AB.jpeg
 

hemi71cuda

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I’m a sucker for spruce and I’m now officially in love with ALL of those! If it weren’t for that pesky border I’d be begging you to sell me one if you ever decided to part with one. 😍
 

Djtommy

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I agree, all nice finds. I love these trees too
 

Tycoss

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Somehow I missed this series of posts.

Damn nice finds. I love all of them. Wonderful bark. Nice short needles. Excellent.
If the other ones I’ve collected from the same area are any indication, the needles will at least double in size once the trees have recovered from collection. They also go much more bluish. I’m sure they can be reduced back down eventually, when and if I ever get them to the refining phase.
 
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