My main source for trees and foliage has been Scenic Express. Jim Elster's products are nearly endless in their variety and usefulness.
Secondly, when I am modeling a landscape, small or large, which in my mind is typical of the East and Midwest areas of the USA, places which are familiar to me (I do not try to model what I have not seen personally, in-person,) I do not skimp.
As an example . I used one of Jim's products, a snippet from a Sagebrush, to model the dying trees in these vignettes...
When I decided to try modeling a logging "block," I researched logging via the Internet,
books, and a personal visit to Upstate NY where a forest was being cleared. I realized I had no practical idea of what actually shared a forest floor with the trees. So, I went into several tracts and immersed myself.
Also, I visited several John Deere dealerships and talked to the men there to find out what the various equipment did as parts of the logging operation. Fortunately, those storefront dealerships also carried a line of 1/48 toy models of the equipment, such as Front Loaders, Skidders, Forwarders, Harvesters, etc.
When I returned home, I enjoyed a visual romp through a Scenic Express catalogue, and began modeling, once the materials arrived.
When I had several finished "Logging Block" vignettes completed, I took a carload of them back to the John Deere dealerships for their appraisal, approval, or disapproval.
FrankM
