Self Collecting Wood

Self collecting wood while on trips is a great way to bring wood hiking sticks projects home. However, you need to know your wood types and colelcting laws. Not all national forst or state parks allow collecting of saplings or even dead wood. Many times you can collect one type but not another.

Private land is a different story. If you own you own land its up to you. In fact, I have grown my ceder on land I own in Tennessee and even used ficus aeral roots in my area in Miami. Ficus tends to be heavy so I mostly use it for short walking stick that need great strength (I made one for my neighbor who has a bad leg).

Either way learn the walking sticks and hiking staff wood types and how to work them. Also, you need to check the wood of insects and wood boring worms. There are methods to get rid of worms inside of wood. In Montana, there is a carver outside of Bozeman that has made a business of making things from wood with worm holes. The holes and bores give the wood a great look (he collects old fence posts and turns them on a lathe).