National Forest Service Permit

[PiñonJ]

Anybody ever collect in Utah? If so just curious where you collected and what you had to do to obtain permits and permission? I have collected many trees on private property but would start to look for collectible material on public lands.

If you want to collect in a national forest, call the local ranger district (look on the National Forest Service website) for the area of the national forest in which you want to collect. They can tell you where you can collect, when you can collect and how many trees you can take. There's a minimum $20 fee for a wilding permit. Around here, that equates to 4 trees and we have a 5 tree limit per individual ($25). Your area will set their own limit.

 

[BckCntry]

I collect in Utah, Moke. The only place I've had success getting permits is through the BLM offices. I pretty much walk in and ask for a Transplanting Permit and pay the fee. National Forests have been reluctant to offer permits except on rare occasions in particular areas during specific seasons. Private land has been the best option for me.

 

[moke]

I collect in Utah, Moke. The only place I've had success getting permits is through the BLM offices. I pretty much walk in and ask for a Transplanting Permit and pay the fee. National Forests have been reluctant to offer permits except on rare occasions in particular areas during specific seasons. Private land has been the best option for me.

Thanks for the reply, I will start looking into to possible locations on BLM land for collecting this spring. Thanks again for the first hand information.

 

[plant_dr]

Anybody ever collect in Utah? If so just curious where you collected and what you had to do to obtain permits and permission? I have collected many trees on private property but would start to look for collectible material on public lands.

Maybe you could contact Larry Rupp at Utah State University. He is a professor in the Plant Science Dept. He posted on the Bonsai Club of Utah's facebook page a couple of years ago that he collects and propagates native species for research on waterwise landscaping.
Or maybe just ask on the club's FB page directly or message Aaron Penrod, he's the president. They might organize a collecting trip in the spring if there is enough interest.

On a side note, I spoke with Dan Robinson at Elendan Gardens in Washington along time ago while visiting my family up there. When I told him I lived in Utah, he said he was jealous of all the amazing Juniper material we have available here!

 

[moke]

Maybe you could contact Larry Rupp at Utah State University. He is a professor in the Plant Science Dept. He posted on the Bonsai Club of Utah's facebook page a couple of years ago that he collects and propagates native species for research on waterwise landscaping.
Or maybe just ask on the club's FB page directly or message Aaron Penrod, he's the president. They might organize a collecting trip in the spring if there is enough interest.

On a side note, I spoke with Dan Robinson at Elendan Gardens in Washington along time ago while visiting my family up there. When I told him I lived in Utah, he said he was jealous of all the amazing Juniper material we have available here!

Thanks for the info, I will start trying to contact them.
Thanks again,

 

[Dorky_gearhead]

just spitballing here but... If I find an area that has a nice selection of bonsai material, somebody could stake a mining claim. mining claims cost about $150. there's also about a $200 maintenance fee that can be waved. this should open the door for commercial use too.

 

[plant_dr]

just spitballing here but... If I find an area that has a nice selection of bonsai material, somebody could stake a mining claim. mining claims cost about $150. there's also about a $200 maintenance fee that can be waved. this should open the door for commercial use too.

Is this just for BLM land or can it be anywhere? Obviously not on someone else's private property right?

 

[parhamr]

I live in central CA, and I've tried obtaining a tree collection permit quite a few times. I've called several different district offices, and everyone I spoke to said they dont issue those permits. I've left voicemails with the forestry agent in charge of logging, but never got a response.

CA BLM land is said to have zero permitting requirement. It may be slightly controversial and risky, as many staff believe them to be necessary. Randy Knight has pursued this thoroughly and successfully showed there is no written policy or law prohibiting unpermitted collection on CA BLM lands.

 

[rockm]

CA BLM land is said to have zero permitting requirement. It may be slightly controversial and risky, as many staff believe them to be necessary. Randy Knight has pursued this thoroughly and successfully showed there is no written policy or law prohibiting unpermitted collection on CA BLM lands.

Which kind of brings up an ethical challenge collectors can face...just because you can dig without, does that mean you should? just asking...
https://www.blm.gov/programs/natural-resources/forests-and-woodlands/forest-product-permits

 

[PiñonJ]

The BLM website doesn’t indicate there are zero permitting requirements. It says small amounts of forest products for personal use do not require a permit. Any collecting on Randy’s scale requires a permit. Personally, I have the same attitude whether a permit is required, or not. It is traumatic to lose a collected tree. Collecting should always be done as sustainably as possible

 

[Dorky_gearhead]

So yesterday I was granted permission to collect multiple, small (under 6 feet) softwood, and hardwood trees. I was told that as long as its for personal use, there wouldn't be a permit fee!

 

[plant_dr]

So yesterday I was granted permission to collect multiple, small (under 6 feet) softwood, and hardwood trees. I was told that as long as its for personal use, there wouldn't be a permit fee!

Nice! How did you manage that?

 

[Dorky_gearhead]

I think its a combination of nobody ever requesting collection permits at that one office, as well as me being very open to species, location, and timeframe of collecting. I told the guy I spoke with that I wouldn't be interested in bristlecone, or lodgepole, due to the high likelihood of them not surviving in the valley floor. He corrected me, saying lodgepoles can grow in the valley. We spoke for about 15 minutes, and he honestly seemed interested in my efforts. It took me about a month to get a hold of him. I was directed to call the state office, they told me I needed to call the regional office in Colorado! They told me I needed to call the kern county office, they told me I needed to call the Sacramento office, and then they said I needed to call my local office. After calling my local office it still took several weeks to get in contact with this guy.

Terminology really helps too! Non-convertible board feet products is the key term. It covers a very wide spectrum of things, from living specimens to moss, pine cones, sticks, roots, berries, flowers, seeds ECT. ECT.

 

[PiñonJ]

Are you dealing with Forest Service, or BLM?

 

[Forsoothe!]

I put together a long-winded request with photos of trees and locations where I was interested in collecting trees along the right-of-way where the county mows the grass, emphasizing that the trees are in the way in lots of ways. They grow to cover signs, or barriers, viaducts, etc., and are mostly undesirable species (I mostly wanted the Elms). It was complete, but not wordy. I assured them that I would avoid getting too close to traffic or cause a distraction to drivers and work in off-hours and low traffic days.

I got a letter back that was like they were responding to a different letter, from Mars. Needless to say, it didn't compute.

I went on a vacation up north another time. Northern Michigan is mostly mixed hardwood or pine forests with scattered farms and clusters of cottages or homes. You'd be hard pressed to get far enough away from a White Pine to not get hit by one falling down. But I'm the law-abiding type and I'd rather just pay for something rather than be collared by someone screaming about, "Whatda ya think yer doin' with dat tree...". Anyway, I found a landscaping supply and went in and asked this lady, "Got any White Pines?" Long pause. She looked at me like I was some city-slicker too stupid to notice that I was standing in the middle of a county with a billion board feet of White Pine on the hoof. "Why don't you just go dig one up?" I didn't really have an answer.

 

[parhamr]

Non-convertible board feet products is the key term.

Niiiice! Well done.

 

[Dorky_gearhead]

Are you dealing with Forest Service, or BLM?

Forestry

 

[SkyIslandCoues]

Only one of our National Forests in AZ allows bonsai collecting. That may be a future project PBS may look into....how to open up more forests for bonsai collection.

Hi AZbonsai,
I was curious which of the NF in Arizona allows bonsai collecting? Thanks in advance!

 

[AZbonsai]

Hi AZbonsai,
I was curious which of the NF in Arizona allows bonsai collecting? Thanks in advance!

It is down in Tucson. I believe it is the Coronado. Welcome to the site by the way. Good to see more AZ people here.

 

[CWTurner]

Saw lots of good looking trees in the Tonto Natl Forest. Check that too.
CW