# Which woods are available in your area for walking sticks?



## Sean (Dec 29, 2012)

I'm relatively lucky when it comes to wood availability where I live. Some of the woods that I enjoy being able to harvest

are... cedar, maple, alder, and birch. There are a few varieties of maple, like paper bark, broad leaf, and vine which are

all quite different looking.

So, have you access to a good wood supply where you are? Which do you prefer, any reason in particular?

Sean


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

Pecan, various oaks, hickory, bois d'arc (osage orange) these are what I look for. But I'm a newbie.

River birch, sycamore, hackberry, redbud, dogwood, these are common in northeast Oklahoma too. We have some maples but I haven't noticed them in the wild so far.

I have spent an hour on only two weekends walking in wooded areas near Tulsa. So far, just pecan and oak brought back for slingshots. Bois d'arc is my number one goal, but I need a landowner's permission to explore north of Tulsa, ideally in Osage County northwest of town.

I haven't found sufficiently long and straight branches. I look for deadwood, mostly ice storm damage, still hanging but not on the ground (i.e. rotten).


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## Sean (Dec 29, 2012)

CAS, nice variety of wood you have available! Good luck finding some Osage Orange. I'd love to see a

walking stick made from that wood.


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## Shawn C (Dec 28, 2012)

The woods around me contain maple (rock, silver, sugar), various species of oak, white birch, aspen, sassafras, cherry, catalpa, and black walnut. I also have quite a bit of basswood around.


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

Gandalf is carrying an awesome staff in The Hobbit - we saw that in 3D at the IMAX just today. The top has to be fake but it looks great.


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## JJireh (Feb 7, 2013)

We have
black oak, black walnut, blackgum, bur oak, cottonwood, flowering dogwood, hackberry, hickory, locust, persimmon, red maple,
river birch, sassafras, scarlet oak, shingle oak, red oak, sugar maple, white oak, Virginia pine, ash, baldcypress, beech,
boxelder, wild cherry, hemlock, mulberry, red buckeye, silver maple, sycamore, yellow-poplar, choke cherry.

No shortage of wood here


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## Paul2281 (Apr 10, 2013)

I know it`s a no no to cut down a live growth sapling,but I just love the Root ball canes the best...It`s just hard to find a dead one with the root still intact....

And I don`t know crap about the kind of woods I`m using...I need to look them up and see what they are....


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## Sean (Dec 29, 2012)

Was out for a walk along the dyking system yesterday and a huge back hoe had been in for maintenance of it. When he was

done there left for grabs was a bunch of cottonwood all roots intact left up for grabs.

I seem to get a fair bit of wood this way from power line pruning, logging road clearing, ditch maintenance etc.


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## Paul2281 (Apr 10, 2013)

Sean said:


> Was out for a walk along the dyking system yesterday and a huge back hoe had been in for maintenance of it. When he was
> 
> done there left for grabs was a bunch of cottonwood all roots intact left up for grabs.
> 
> I seem to get a fair bit of wood this way from power line pruning, logging road clearing, ditch maintenance etc.


Very good find dude,wtg....Look like anything with some good qualities????


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## Sean (Dec 29, 2012)

There are a few with natural bends in them that would make for some nice canes. We're in the process of selling and

moving so I've got to tap it cool when it comes to more sticks. I've got over a hundred that are either dry or drying and

I won't be able to get to them until we relocate. Nice thing about wood is there is no hurry.


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## JD79 (Apr 12, 2013)

I live in the Pacific Northwest. Wood isn't hard to come by. Finding the wood you want in evergreen forests can be a bit of a pain though. I've found some marshy areas that could hold some promising sticks. Now I just need to find the time to go get them.


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## Fisher Kat (Apr 20, 2013)

I usually get my walking stick wood from wooded areas that are doomed for development as it's better to see this material be utilized in a good way instead of ground up and made into paper or piled up and burned. What I use in this region is ash, dogwood, gum, hickory, hornbeam and maple. I've thought about experimenting with some cedar.


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## gdenby (Apr 27, 2013)

The climax forests around here are maple/beech forests, although the beeches are failing because of acid rain. There are a lot of "oak opens," sandy areas from the last glacier retreats, where oaks flourish. Lots of ash, lots of wild cherry. Sycamore where there's lots of water, likewise cottonwood. Stands of sassafras. Lots of mulberry in the surviving hedgerows. Black walnuts, shagbark hickory, tulip tree, aka "yellow poplar," hornbeam, yellow birch, locust, hawthorn all in lesser quantities. Too many Chinese elms brought in when the Dutch elm disease killed off most of the American elms. Some catalpa, which was a popular lawn tree in the 1920's. A little osage orange around older farms.


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## Fordj (Jan 8, 2014)

I have Hawthorne, Apple, Box Elder, Red Maple and Honeysuckle growing in my yard. Lots of other hardwoods good for walking canes are also available around here ( I just have to find them and ask permission to harvest). Two Agricultural stations have Prunus Spinosa growing in their plots from the 1970's, I'll find out if they know who might have them on their land I might be able to harvest from.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

Harveting

Paid a vist yo a local wood and got permission to harvet some hazel,The coppice was in a bit of a state,it had vever been coppiced at all.

Nipped home got the loppers and pruning saw 2hrs later 28 hazel shanks in the car,all pretty straight.Thats one advantage with hazel they grow straight.They where all within a 50` of the path so no problems getting them back to the car.

Theres loads more to cut so going to have a field day ,could do with a trailer.

Had a look round to see if there where any signs of the doormouse there oftern found in hazel coppice, no luck

So had a good day weather was bright and sunny at last

Here is the resul of my endevour. Just bunddeled them up for seasoning hanging in the garage now.Didnt bother to seal the ends ,never do,there all over 6` by the looks of it .

So i can not only cut them back to the size i want i can also cut back to the daimeter i need..Its about time the sap is rising so need to get them quickly


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

another 2 hours work harvested 30 sticks from a young wood .No one is harvesting them loads to get ideasl size

This wood has only been planted about 15=20 years ago so abundent hazel there no one coppicing it.Looking out for the chestnut ,just love the colouration of the bark and it makes ideal sticks.They use the hazel to protect the young trees from wind as its fast growing. aHazel wood copice should be cut back every12-15years to keep it healthy

the woods


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## Fordj (Jan 8, 2014)

You Lucky Bugger! All those from old growth tree rows? I can't wait 'till I can have a go at an old tree row 'ere thats never been properly coppiced.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

Now thats a saying i hav`nt heard in along time.Did`nt know you used that expresion in the states

But planning to go back there and help myself to another 50 or so .they will keep in the garage and mayby pass a few on to my friends at thr next stickmakers workshop



Fordj said:


> You Lucky Bugger! All those from old growth tree rows? I can't wait 'till I can have a go at an old tree row 'ere thats never been properly coppiced.


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## Fordj (Jan 8, 2014)

That phrase is not used in the US. I'm just a fan of British movies/TV. Got that from my parents, both mainly UK Irish/English.


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