I have always been keen to keep wargaming costs down, last year I made a forest of
very cheap trees. However, on a recent day trip to Chester I stopped in at the model shop and picked up a few supplies, including these Woodland Scenics armatures. For just over £13 there are 28 armatures, including bases. It may be possible to find natural hardwood cuttings from your garden for nothing, but the time saving here is a bonus, plus at less than 50p a trunk it's not expensive. The armatures are packed flat, you have to twist them into shape, then glue them on to the bases. Mine are also glued on to two pence pieces, to give them extra stability and so I can slot them into my terrain bases. It struck me at this stage that a quick coat of paint and a bit of drybrushing would yield some pretty decent spooky trees for a haunted forest look. I have other plans, but I might keep a few to one side for my Garden of Morr. Alternatively, they could be painted up and used as bare winter trees, imagine them lightly coated with snow flock.
