What type of trees?

[Dewbakuk]

Okay I'm having a bit of a brain fart moment here and need some help.

I'm planing out a board for some Weird Wild West gaming and maybe for the occasional "normal" game 

It's a fairly generic mining town that will be called Deadwood on occasion but isn't necesarily the Deadwood of reality. So, what trees should I use? I'm aware there would have been a wide variety of trees but what trees do you guys use on your boards? What tree comes to mind when you think of a western?

The first one that comes to my mind is a pine.... but it wouldn't make for a very good "hanging" tree so there must be others....

[Operator5]

A Joshua tree

Most standard deciduous trees would work as well for the gaming table.

[Dewbakuk]

Joshua tree, good call. Not the easiest to make though, although not that hard.

Deciduous, so not pines then......

[Operator5]

Pines too. You just happen to already mention them so I didn't add.

[Cory]

Pines, larch and fir. A large pine or fir tree can easily make for a good hanging tree, Ponderosa especially. In the Rockies most decidous are either too small or too weak for hangings.

[Terrible Tim]

If the generic mining town is in a dry/desert area (spaghetti western), you could add a few patches cacti (with the odd tree). Pegasus Hobbies make 2 different sized cacti sets which are good quality and cheap.

[Dewbakuk]

So we can be fairly loose with trees then. With regards to cacti, what trees could be used with them? I doubt you'd get many cacti in the town but possibly round the mines etc. No harm in creating multiple "scenes".....

[zbyshko]

How about a large, gnarly oak?  especially a many-limbed one atop a small hill, with tombstones around it's shaded area.

if i remember my folklore correctly: European tradition has oaks planted in cemeteries so the roots could anchor down the restless spirits (and weren't most western settlers European?  even the Spanish...).  so a lone large oak in a cemetery would be rather evocative and still fit a general setting.  as for oaks in the Southwest: 'The genus is native to the northern hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cold latitudes to tropical Asia and the Americas.' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak)

[Dewbakuk]

Yeah, I think I'm going to go with an oak for the hanging tree. It just looks right.

I've been looking at the things I want to include. Not sure it's all going to fit on one board...........

[bc99]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Trees_of_New_Mexico

Here is a list of common trees in New Mexico. They would be very appropriate for a wild west Arizona/New Mexico type board. Pinyon (Piñon) trees are suitable. Basically, most of the trees are low and scraggly, in the Northern parts of New Mexico and Arizona until you get up into the higher elevations to Pines and Aspens.

There are also various Oaks, Maples, and such.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

[Dewbakuk]

Useful link, thanks.

I'm looking forward to it too

[sukhe_bator]

For cacti you could also mix scales for added variety. Peter Pig make some excellent ones for their 15mm Wild West range....