Back in the hunt!

For a covering I would be using discarded pixie loin clothes.

Using saplings is hugely appealing for the reasons you give, but produces a couple of issues:

* Getting permission to take them

* Even with persmissoin, I kind of lack the knowledge of whats okay to take without leaving damage

* But worst of all, the fact that such dimensionally random forms struggle to fit in with my carefully crafted CAD models

However, am sure they could find a role somewhere. Like most aspects of my project I am happy to be flexible and use a variety of bits and pieces rather than stick religiously to one concept and use it throughout.

 

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Becareful with those loin cloths....they might have discarded them because they are soiled



And you have a wealth of imformation at your finger tips with the net.

Getting permission for private land to harvest wood on can be very easy ....alot of woodland have be aloud to become over grown, you could offer to thin their woodland for forest health and fire prevention.

For public land you can either go up in the forest and "find" some saplings or go the legal route and buy a permit they usual do not cost that much.

Another place for saplings like willow is along the road side also creeks and river banks....thats were i got mine last time...counties routinely clean and remove the trees and brush growing in ditches, so that water can flow freely.....you could also harvest cattails that way too.

As for harvesting its not hard ....dont harvest all the plants in one spot, you want to give space to the saplings you leave. In northern climates its better to harvest in the spring so the plants can recover during the summer. Here are a few links on coppicing which will help to get you started.

http://www.coppicing.com/

http://www.primitiveways.com/coppicing.html

http://www.offwell.free-online.co.uk/woodland_manage/coppice.htm

 

Yep, the nets great and I have often spent many evenings locked away researching one obscure topic or another!