One key thing is to find a gnarly trunk, that is collectable. Let nature do the first 100 years of growing. The ERC in the photos are supposed to be about 800 years old. Only one in 100 gnarly trunks will have roots that allow collecting. One trick is to grab the trunk and try to rock the tree. If the whole trunk and root pad move when rocked, it "might be" collectable. Trying to dig a rock solid trunk will only kill the tree and piss yourself off.
