Читать книгу Cane Topper Woodcarving - Lora S. Irish - Страница 11

• Before you begin harvesting along any roadside, open field, or wooded lot, get the permission of the landowner before entering the property. Even if the tree saplings that you want to harvest are on the road side of a fence line, the landowner’s property rights extend to the centerline of the road in many jurisdictions. You can avoid a lot of problems by simply asking permission before you cut.

• When you speak with landowners, tell them what you intend to do with the sticks, how many you hope to harvest, and what particular types of trees you want to harvest. I ask the owners for suggestions as to where I might cut on their land and which areas they want me to avoid. Some property owners will allow you to cut specific species but want to protect others from harvest—they may allow you to cut oak, maple, and black locust but not want you to cut any sassafras or dogwood, for example.

• If you harvest wood from someone’s lot where you have not cut before, you might want to take along a finished stick as a gift to the owner. A stick in hand is worth 25 or more small saplings, and happy, satisfied landowners will let you harvest on their land year after year.

• Always let someone know where you will be harvesting. Map out the territory and give a time estimate of when you will be returning home. Take your cell phone with you. Accidents can happen, so be prepared!

• Take a small camp shovel with you to dig out the root systems for briar roses, sassafras, and dogwoods. The bulbous root nodes make wonderful stick handles. Remember to backfill any hole that you dig.

• Take along a folding camp saw for branch harvesting. They are lighter to carry than large pruners. Small hand clippers and a good pocketknife are excellent for cleaning the side branches from the main walking stick. Lightweight nylon cord can be used to bundle your sticks and to make a carrying handle to get your harvest back to your car.

• Know the sport hunting laws and timetables for your region. I never harvest after November 1, because in my area that is deer hunting season, which includes bow, black powder, and shotgun. Late September through October 30 is when I do my stick harvesting.