Colorado Josh
Yamadori
What are some of the characteristics that make a tree 'collectible'?
I have collected a handful of trees the past couple of years with some success. The trees that have succeeded for me were less than 20 years old, so it was fairly easy to collect a root mass. But they were juvenile, and had limited artistic appeal
Today I went out to scout some douglas fir, in an area referred to as Windy Point. The big old beasts were absolutely stunning. Some of them had a root collar that was easily 25 inches. Obviously not collectible. I came across two trees that really struck with their style and potential to be removed from their surrounding rocks. I'm guessing that they're in the 50-100 year old category. But it's hard to tell.
I work in forestry with the USFS, and I have all of my permits. But I was reluctant to take any steps in collecting these trees, because I didn't want to fuck it up. One of the trees was one that I have had visions about for the past year. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of that one. I did grab a shot of the other that is in a comparable soil structure. Mostly rocks. I don't think that it would be difficult to remove the rocks to reveal the roots. But I feel that they may go a couple of feet into the rocks. Which would result in a large container, and more time to gain a viable root mass.
What do you look for when collecting? With the proper care and attention, do you think that these trees are collectible? I feel as though I should wait until spring. But I know that October is the 2nd best time to collect. The adjacent aspen trees are turning, so the time to collect may be upon us?
Photos to follow
I have collected a handful of trees the past couple of years with some success. The trees that have succeeded for me were less than 20 years old, so it was fairly easy to collect a root mass. But they were juvenile, and had limited artistic appeal
Today I went out to scout some douglas fir, in an area referred to as Windy Point. The big old beasts were absolutely stunning. Some of them had a root collar that was easily 25 inches. Obviously not collectible. I came across two trees that really struck with their style and potential to be removed from their surrounding rocks. I'm guessing that they're in the 50-100 year old category. But it's hard to tell.
I work in forestry with the USFS, and I have all of my permits. But I was reluctant to take any steps in collecting these trees, because I didn't want to fuck it up. One of the trees was one that I have had visions about for the past year. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of that one. I did grab a shot of the other that is in a comparable soil structure. Mostly rocks. I don't think that it would be difficult to remove the rocks to reveal the roots. But I feel that they may go a couple of feet into the rocks. Which would result in a large container, and more time to gain a viable root mass.
What do you look for when collecting? With the proper care and attention, do you think that these trees are collectible? I feel as though I should wait until spring. But I know that October is the 2nd best time to collect. The adjacent aspen trees are turning, so the time to collect may be upon us?
Photos to follow