Where to collect rib material

While you don't need a whole lot of wood to rib up a kayak, you don't want to go collecting in somebody elses yard or anyplace else where someone will get upset by your rib collecting activity. If you live in the country or near some woods, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding suitable rib stock.

However, even if you live in a city, there are often quite a few places that sport shrubbery and trees that nobody cares about. A few such places are the land near railroad tracks, public land along rivers and creeks and near highways and bridges.

Land next to railroad tracks belongs to the railroad. But vegetation growing near tracks is a nuisance to them and they have to periodically chop down trees and bushes that encroach the tracks. So harvesting a few dozen twigs in an area like this will not likely raise any hackles.

These young elms were growing next to the building where I was renting space. The landlord did not mind that I harvested these trees for ribs since he regularly had to pay someone to cut them anyway.

This impressive willow bush grows in the middle of a decommissioned military base surrounded by acres of concrete and asphalt.