Marvin - Thanks, I saw that site but they have a 5 stick min. I see that Woodcraft and Treeline both sell sticks, I'm just not sure of the quality? Merle Rice. They have the best prices that I have found and service is great.
They even take most of the Bark off, which is a dirty job. You look at pictures and pick out the sizes and amount that you want and in a few days they are on your front Porch.
I have always been satisfied with them. The guys in the DW furniture shop tell me that when they go into a new area, if they find one, they find lots of it. Seems a regional infection. Bring it home, strip the bark and into the bins. They've been at it for 15 years so there's wood ready to work every year. The twins? I hear you. When my D1 was just 3 yrs old, I took her out to look for some Ruffed Grouse. I don't get far with a kid carrying a glass of milk. I used to sell lots and lots of Diamond Willow but my wife chased me out of the swamp.
I have since been referring people who ask to Alex Bisso in Montana. He has good stuff for diamond willow and also has good cottonwood bark. Priced reasonable and I am sure you can buy one stick or two sticks from him. He was just featured in a magazine article, maybe online magazine about his materials. His email address is: [email protected] Gene.
Eric, where in MI are you. Diamond willow can be found in the northern areas near wet spots, swamps or drainage ditches on the side of the roads. Study the bark and also the leaves are a little broader than normal willow trees you see here. I don't recall the botanical name off hand. Then hit the road and go slow it's easy to pass up. Oh, and of course ask the land owner permission to do your cutting. Diamonds may enlarge enough to touch other diamonds; hence intricate configurations can result.
Though the Copper River is the most famous locale of diamond willow, one variety or another can be found over all the forested areas of Alaska from the Kenai Peninsula northward.
Attractive diamond willow is found in the valleys of many rivers including the Yukon, Matanuska, Tanana, Susitna and the Koyukuk. Nor is diamond willow restricted to Alaska. Large willows with diamonds were being used for fence posts in the upper Missouri River valley during the last century, and canes were being made there of smaller diamond willows.
Diamond willow was found to be nearly as rot-resistent as red cedar and therefore durable for underground purposes. Because of its slow growth rate, it is a hardwood; some Alaskan diamond willows are years old, and one only two inches in diameter is likely to be 50 years old. If you cut diamond willow remember that it will not grow back quickly.
It appears that the best places to find willows with good diamonds are locations where growth is slow and stands dense. Thus, valley bottoms rather than hillsides probably will yield the best diamonds. The willow can be cut any time of year, but if cut in winter and dried slowly the wood will probably check and crack less.
In principle, all one needs to do is peel and finish the diamond willow to obtain attractive pieces. Any place that is consistently damp or wet is a good place to look for diamond willows. Lake shores and along farm drainage ditches are also likely places to find them. They grow in clumps in dense areas, often among other types of trees.
According to the Alaska Science Forum at the Geophysical Institute, the Copper River in Alaska is well-known for its diamond willows, but they may also be found in the forests of the Kenai Peninsula northward.
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