Page 21 - BSAM 2016 Q2

But there are still many places where interesting trees can be found and collected. National and state forests (as opposed to national and state parks) will o en allow collecting in areas where they also allow other commercial uses of the land, such as timber and rewood cutting, mining, oil production and livestock grazing. Since many normal forest management ac- tivities destroy the same trees we would like to use for bonsai, collecting them is not necessarily prohibited. e Bureau of Land Management (BML) also o en allows trees to be transplanted from their lands.
Collecting from public lands always requires a per- mit of some type, which must usually be purchased. Since I live near a lot of public lands I regularly buy transplant permits from national and state forests as well as BLM lands. Permit prices range from $2 to $20 per tree, though between $5 and $10 is the norm.
Not every district will allow collecting, and you will probably have to do some research to nd a place. When you do, the restrictions and number of trees allowed per collector will vary, depending on what the resource manager thinks is acceptable. Generally, the farther you are from a major population center the less restrictive the permits will be. It is sometimes helpful to talk with a forester or a resource person and explain exactly what you are looking for. e front desk per- sonnel may not even be aware that transplant permits exist and may simply tell you “no,” because they think that’s the correct answer.
In any case, make sure you get the necessary permit before you start.
I love being out in the cold, windy mountains and searching for ancient trees, dwarfed and contorted by decades of growing in some tiny rock crevice on a lonely crag.
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