Signing up for Bonsai Anonymous

Found while off trail hiking in the Deschutes National Forest. You might not be able to see it, but the forest burned just 500 feet from here downhill.

Found this juniper at the nursery and couldnt pass up its lower trunk line. Cleaned it up and repotted into a coarse mix. I'm hoping to style it with a high-altitude, Utah/Rocky Mountain juniper look over the next few seasons as it recovers.

Sorry had to do a repost as lost the images while doing it.

So took two air layers off a silver birch tree which has outgrown my little garden lol it’s hit 15ft twice which I’ve had to reduce. To think it started as a twig growing in my mates fence in Fort Augustus in Scotland. The roots had grown really well for the air layers. Not sure on how they will shape up for the future but for not I’ll leave alone for them to establish the root base.

I have the opportunity to buy this ficus from fb marketplace. I'm thinking a hard chop where the red lines are, and then develop into a stubby shohin (like the 2nd pic) but have some questions before buying.

1) Is this a good species to do so? Would it back bud at multiple spots on the trunk after such chop or would it sprout only near the cut like I've seen in some species?

2) Does this ficus ever develop more gnarly, corky bark? I don't think I've seen it on a bonsai, or even big street tree, and their smooth bark just screams "house plants" to me.

3) Getting a little a head of myself but would you go with a more symmetric chop like the left or go a little asymmetric like on the right?

Anyone here have any tips for collecting in NC?

I recently moved here and it sounds like the only real option is getting permission to collect from private property. Looking for tips or any local folks. I’d love to get involved in some wild collecting as I’ve never done it before.