James: Should you ever need a walking stick again I would like to recommend dogwood. The stem almost always grows in a hook or "L" shape to the ground and the options for a handle are incredible. I use a walking stick on a daily basis on both my leisure and work related walks through the woods of West Virginia. Once dry, dogwood becomes extremely light and it is very strong and I have found that with daily use the stick will wear down at the rate of about 1/2 inch per year. In terms of finding dogwood, I know it has become quite scarce in some areas since dogwood Anthracnose nuked a lot of the population but they can still be found and are worthy trees for the purpose. My personal favorite walking sticks have been carved from dogwood trees between 1" and 1.25" outside the bark that were growing on level or moderately sloping ground. Before selecting a tree I also study the crown structure a little....if the tree has the slightest lean or curvature, especially related to phototropic influences, it should not be harvested for walking stick use because it will warp too much as it cures to be useful. Because of Anthracnose I try to select trees as close to death as possible to utilize for walking sticks and have found that once the trees are totally dead they rapidly become brittle and useless to the point of being potentially dangerous. Finally, if you ever do harvest a dogwood tree for a walking stick, complete most of your carving before it dries....if you don't you probably will give up on making it into a walking stick. The wood is the softest and easiest to work in early summer and it is extremely hard to debark in winter. And....nothing beats the feel of a walking stick on your hand that has been polished smooth by your own DNA. Russ **************Stay up-to-date on the latest news - from fashion trends to celebrity break-ups and everything in between. (http://www.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntaolcom00000024)
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