ethics

[Jim Davis]

Only going to make a couple of points. First, if you cut a tree and split staves, you have not wasted that tree even if YOU never use the staves. They will continue to be staves until SOMEONE uses them.

Second, the English bowmen in days of yore did not use English yew (except that England owned the staves). England imported yew from Spain to make its bows.  English yew. according to what I have read, is no great shakes as bow stock.

As far as trees having feelings. I'm sure they are just as sensitive as today's dragons, right dragonman? BTW, I hope your name does not signify that you kill dragons, they being rather uncommon.

[dragonman]

I dont kill dragons anymore ASharrow, I only ride them these days....
Did you guys know, in the seventies, people experimented attaching a lie detector machine , to plants. All pl;ants have a small but measurable electric current running thru them....trees have more....when subjected to various forms of stress, even anger, they clearly register a response.....not my belief...it can be demonstrated...google " the secret life of plants" if you doubt me brothers....
they even respond to different types of music.....apparently they dont like jazz....!!
I do take  bow staves my self , obviously we have to take what we need.in this world .....the problem is taking more than we need.....
The trees scream out even when another tree in the woods is felled....I know you will laugh....but I had to say it, cos its true...

some english yew is pretty good actualy,

[WillS]

Second, the English bowmen in days of yore did not use English yew (except that England owned the staves). England imported yew from Spain to make its bows.  English yew. according to what I have read, is no great shakes as bow stock.

Don't tell Del you said that...

Seriously though, English yew is fantastic.  If you get the right bit.  It's the same exact species as Spanish and Italian and Portugese yew, and if grown in the right conditions is every bit as good.  There are plenty of fantastic warbows made from English yew, and to be honest with the current state of Italian and Alpine yew being the way it is, I'd say there's probably MORE English yew that's better than that from other parts of Europe at the moment.

[E. Jensen]

I've made great bows from IRISH yew, which is supposed to be decisively inferior.

[JoJoDapyro]

Trees are special to many people. I have a tree in the city I work that was planted by a family after their son died. If it ever is blocking a street sign I go and let the home owner know, and he takes care of the tree himself.

[Lucasade]

Trees may be just wood, but they stir strong feelings in people for all sorts of reasons (as witnessed by the range of opinions in this thread). In our local paper a few months ago there was a piece on the front page where several residents had got upset that the council had come and cut a load of birch and hazel in what was clearly just standard woodland management.

Take a tree if you feel you have more right to it than anybody else, but just bear in mind that it may be special to somebody for any number of reasons that probably have little to do with logic. Maybe another bowyer who struggles to find any decent wood has been spending the last few months negotiating with the council to get permission to cut it. Maybe you will make some random member of the public's life slightly worse if the tree is no longer in their life. I think the point people are making is that if you don't ask but just go and poach it you will never know.

[WillS]

Very well put.

[E. Jensen]

And if you do end up cutting it, put me down for trading for a stave 

[Sidewinder]

I agree one shouldn't poach wood. Nor should they trespass on another mans land without permission. I don't think anyone is suggesting or encouraging that. I admitted my one time of doing it on public access and why. I believe we should alway uphold the highest standards in this type of thing. My earlier statement about it being un-ethical not to cut it was not really referring to poaching, It was more of in response to the issue of cutting it when you did not necessarily need it in the foreseeable future and I stand by my position on that point. If you can cut it and prep it proper do so. You don't know what it will be like a few years from now . I was also being a bit of a smart elec.
 I have developed relationships with landowners over the years that have allowed me to cut a tree here and there on their land. I always reward them either with a shooter bow or a wall hanger. Thats one of the reasons you never toss a bow that your not satisfied with, you can always find a home for it, just maybe not as a shooter. I guess sometimes I take for granted how very little access many of you have to harvesting bow wood and in particular osage orange. I will say that when I started this journey 8-9yrs ago, I lived in the suburbs and did'nt have access to bow wood. I also knew I needed to get started finding places I could find some and then cut it and process it. Its taken a while to get to the position I'm in now, but I'm glad I did. I rarely am short of a stave for a new guy. I give those away along with help in making their first bow. The only thing I ask in return is that when they start gathering their own wood that they replace it in my stash at some point in the future. I have only had 2 guys so far do it out of maybe 8. But that does'nt mean I'm gonna give up on the next guy. I like to infect others with the bug of bow making and shooting and if you don't have some extra materials around to share then all you can do is talk about it. I'm more of an action guy.
 As far as the trees crying over it...well no disrespect intended but electrical impulse response does not indicate pain so I'll have to pass on that idea.   Danny

[Marc St Louis]

what about asking permission from the tree its self? many natives actualy did this in recognition of the the spirit of the tree... how do you own a tree anyway,??   You tough guys may laugh at this , but a tree has a powerfull spirit, it isnt good to upset them... ...It is the same with owning land, does anyone really own land, or do they just think they do, because a peice of paper says so?  Because a so called land owner gives permission does that make it OK.? A tree is a living being, it cant talk, but it does have awareness....

I once cut a limb of yew from an ancient church yard.  on returning back down the path a passer by asked if I had asked permission to cut the tree, so I asked him, "who do you think owns the tree then.?  isnt this Gods house, ? so yes,  I asked permission from Him,  "  He never answered so I presumed He didnt mind..."....the guy looked annoyed with me, so I muttered nosey bastard to myself as I walked off....he didnt get my car number so what could he do...
It makes me laugh, people who think they own land and trees...Yes there are many of us in the  UK who descend from Robin Hood...

I like the way you think

[E. Jensen]

I "butchered" about 5,000 tree last summer, many were babies.  So if they feel pain . . . I'm a very very bad man

[paco664]

I "butchered" about 5,000 tree last summer, many were babies.  So if they feel pain . . . I'm a very very bad man

i laughed at this then i thought to myself...


this guy better watch what tree he parks under..   

[Pappy]

O MAN, you guys ant right, I really needed a good laugh this morning and got it, from both sides of the fence. Very bad man.
   Pappy

[E. Jensen]

Haha I'm glad I was good for a laugh.  If it makes anyone feel better, I sprinkled hippy tears on the stumps . . .

[Tree_Ninja]

Less talkin' mo loggin'.



Yew is typically left outside the harvest area for "forest health" reasons (ie biodiversity, wildlife trees etc). 
It grows so slow, leave "some" for future bowyers.
 Stealing "marketable timber" will lead you to fines.  Stealing yew will lead you to a sore back.