high altitude

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so what are the considerations you have to deal with when you collect a tree at high mountain altitudes and bring it down to lower altitudes?
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
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Not enough air to breathe. At 12,000 feet, I can't walk an 1/8 th of a mile without having to sit down and catch my breath. It may take much more time to do some simple digging that at lower elevation would only take minutes.

No real issues for bringing the trees down to low elevation. At least that I know of.
 

River's Edge

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so what are the considerations you have to deal with when you collect a tree at high mountain altitudes and bring it down to lower altitudes?
Making sure you have enough daylight left to find the vehicle! Stopping to rest often enough to make sure you do not trip on the descent.;)
 

Paradox

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The local wildlife.
There was a story about a well known collector that was stalked by a cougar as he was heading back to his vehicle
Thought he was going to have to shoot it at one point
 

Potawatomi13

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Change in clothes needed at higher likely colder altitude. Staying hydrated. Altitude sickness. Personally got this going from 500' to 7500' within 5 hours. 12,000 would be much worse.
 

Tycoss

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I think I lost a spruce from the subalpine to temperature shock. Spring comes about two months later where I collected it than at my place. I put most of the trees from that collect in wood or stoneware containers with their containers in the shade. Because of space constraints, I put one in a black pot in the open. My established and lower altitude spruces would have been fine with that, but this one burst to life and then shriveled pitifully. On closer inspection I think the roots just couldn't handle the change.
 

sorce

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The pressure change will almost certainly have an effect. But to what extent?
I would guess there is a pause to adjust, that should be considered. Since you won't get new growth fast. Keep as much as possible to begin with.

I believe any stories you heard about it being not good for the trees is an excuse to hide bad collection practices.

Sorce
 

BrianBay9

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Light intensity is much higher at high-and-dry elevations. I think that contributed to losses I had with collected Lodgepole pine. But, that's just a guess.
 

It's Kev

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I sell altitude supplements that will help your tree if you wanna give it more altitudes. I keep it right opposite the blinker fluid
 

BrianBay9

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Descend really fast and the trunk will get the bends!😂😂😂

No, no.....you have to rise too fast to get the bends. And if you ascend quickly while the plant holds its breath you can get an embolism. Descending too fast can rupture the plant's eardrum.
 

Kvolk

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Biggest problem would be temperatures. Around here high altitude areas are not snow free until at least the 4th of July And you can still have freezing temperatures at altitude. By then we are already into the 90s down at home.
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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The largest factor in moving an alpine species to lower elevation is sun intensity. Sunlight at 10,000 feet is ten times stronger than at 1,000. That's because ultraviolet sunlight at high altitudes has less air to travel through to filter out UV. Humidity levels at higher altitudes are also a lot lower...In practicality for bonsai, that means that tight foliage and growth habits that trees from higher elevations have will probably elongate at lower altitudes. Deadwood developed in high UV light--which can kill bacteria--and low humidity, can rot more easily.
 
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