It is a great day to be in the woods or forests of Northwest Arkansas, and I've been out with my chain saw harvesting small saplings for my rustic furniture book. As with most woodworking, rustic work presents a learning experience. What better way to learn about the outdoors than to go to work in it? Take two things with you besides your chainsaw, ear protection and hand held trimmers: Trees of Arkansas by Dwight Moore and published by the Arkansas Forestry Commission is a book that will be helpful in most of the eastern and central US for the identification and use of various species. If you are harvesting in the winter months when the sap is down and the leaves are off the tree, Winter Twigs of Arkansas, a book out of print but still available from used book sellers will help you to know what woods you are harvesting. Use of rustic materials is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the forests. I'd rather walk, discover, take home and make than hunt animals, and you know what they say, "use it or lose it." To protect our forests, we must first learn their beauty and value.

Harvesting materials for making rustic furniture can be done without damaging the forest. Look for trees that are crowded too close together or are damaged from falling timber. Removing these trees can help to improve the overall forest conditions, and you can leave the forest in better shape than you found it. But first, before you cut a stick, get to know the under-story trees. Dogwood, Redbud and Carolina Buckthorn trees should be left alone to grow undisturbed. They provide beauty in the forest and never grow large enough to provide lumber.