Looking to Start Yamadori in New England Area

[Andre_J]

Hey everyone, I am very interested in getting into Yamadori next spring, but I’m not sure where to start. I live in northern Connecticut and I’m willing to travel to much of New England. After some research Green Mountain National Park in Vermont/New York seems to be a possibility. Has anyone collected in this area or any other areas in New York or Vermont? Any direction or advice is much appreciated!

 

[Colorado]

I don’t believe that collection is permitted in any national parks.

Part of the challenge of yamadori collecting is identifying an area that is accessible and has stunted trees, but also that you can get proper permission to collect at.

On the East coast, I think most collecting is done on private property because there just isn’t much public land available where collecting is permitted.

It is very important that you do the work and research the permission issue in order to be a responsible collector. If you go around digging up trees in the national park it gives all yamadori collectors a bad look!

 

[Andre_J]

I’ve been reading that you can get transplant permits from rangers stations at a lot of national parks. Here is a thread that I found on here.

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/obtaining-federal-permits-in-the-northeast.37071/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/passes-permits/forestproducts

 

[rockm]

It looks like collecting MIGHT be possible. The permitting process doesn't appear to include small trees and deals mostly with cutting Christmas trees and gathering smaller "botanicals" like ferns, sedges, bark and the like. A call to the local ranger station in the area you're interested in might clear this up. I would NOT tell them you're looking for bonsai candidates. I'd stick to asking if you can collect small trees (which aren't protected species). Asking about bonsai collection up front can throw a complication into the request, as the personnel will think you're after ancient twisted trees hanging of off cliffs like Karate Kid.

 

[Andre_J]

It looks like collecting MIGHT be possible. The permitting process doesn't appear to include small trees and deals mostly with cutting Christmas trees and gathering smaller "botanicals" like ferns, sedges, bark and the like. A call to the local ranger station in the area you're interested in might clear this up. I would NOT tell them you're looking for bonsai candidates. I'd stick to asking if you can collect small trees (which aren't protected species). Asking about bonsai collection up front can throw a complication into the request, as the personnel will think you're after ancient twisted trees hanging of off cliffs like Karate Kid.

Yeah it’s not really clear what a “transplant” is on this specific page. When I looked up the definition on the USDA Forest Service website it says a transplant is a tree under 4ft tall but doesn’t specify anything about age. I’ve already sent an email to the person in charge of permits hoping to get a clearer answers of the process and legality.

 

[Colorado]

I’ve been reading that you can get transplant permits from rangers stations at a lot of national parks. Here is a thread that I found on here.

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/obtaining-federal-permits-in-the-northeast.37071/

https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/gmfl/passes-permits/forestproducts

Ah, I see the confusion now. You are conflating national PARKS with national FORESTS. Collecting is not permitted in any national parks that I am aware of, but yes it is very common in national forests.

This is an important distinction to recognize

 

[LuZiKui]

If you're not part of a club I always recommend joining a club and building some relationships that way. Given the population density up in the Northeast I would imagine most of the areas with good collecting potential are known and probably kept a little bit secret. Good luck!

 

[Andre_J]

Ah, I see the confusion now. You are conflating national PARKS with national FORESTS. Collecting is not permitted in any national parks that I am aware of, but yes it is very common in national forests.

This is an important distinction to recognize

I guess you learn something new every day! I’ve always thought they were the same thing haha…

 

[Andre_J]

If you're not part of a club I always recommend joining a club and building some relationships that way. Given the population density up in the Northeast I would imagine most of the areas with good collecting potential are known and probably kept a little bit secret. Good luck!

Thank you!

 

[rockm]

FWIW, there are also STATE parks that go by their own rules as well.

Vermont State Parks

vtstateparks.com

https://vtstateparks.com/assets/pdf/rules_current.pdf

 

[Javaman4373]

Just a bit of correction. In Vermont you are writing about the Green Mountain National Forest, not Park. My understanding is that you can not collect material from the areas designated wilderness. Otherwise, I think it is possible to secure permits to do some collecting. You can get a permit to cut a Christmas tree, so digging a tree for bonsai should also be possible. Inquire at the ranger headquarters.

 

[Andre_J]

Just a bit of correction. In Vermont you are writing about the Green Mountain National Forest, not Park. My understanding is that you can not collect material from the areas designated wilderness. Otherwise, I think it is possible to secure permits to do some collecting. You can get a permit to cut a Christmas tree, so digging a tree for bonsai should also be possible. Inquire at the ranger headquarters.

Yes thank you for the correction. I wasn’t aware of the difference before writing this post. I have tried reaching out without any response.