Some people wait until March 4th to gather their scion wood for the scion exchange. Bad idea. The scions last longer if you cut them now when dormant, and keep them cool. Late December and January are generally the best times. I store them in a plastic bag with wet newspaper and A LABEL! 
If you wait until later in the year, spring growth flush might have started.
For some plants, like stone fruits, it is better to cut the scions in the current dry weather so as to not open the tree to diseases.
I was out gathering kiwi scions/pruning the last few days and it feels great. Last year, every single one I brought was taken within an hour and a half.
John S
PDX OR
Excellent Advice and Information, John 
Thank you for the reminder. Little is more discouraging than someone showing up at the grafting table with wood pushing buds or dry, shriveled or dead.
Also - great reminder to Label – and it’s been recommended you ‘not’ take cuttings (scions) from a multi-grafted tree… as not to mix up the varieties. I’ve labeled my limbs, but please be careful everyone – little is more frustrating than waiting 4 to 6 years to find it’s not what it had been labeled.
Also, my opinion is that it is best not to neatly prune the scions into 5 inch pieces before the event. In fact, I take my scionwood 'entire' with the terminal bud intact. Every time you cut and dice them up, you are encouraging dehydration.
It is easier to keep track of 5 long scions then 20 short ones.
I just keep them outside in a large plastic zip lock bag with a damp paper towell inside. Stays about 40 degrees against the north side of my house.
Speaking of Scionwood, if anyone knows of a pear grower near Tacoma, I would like to get some scionwood for the Federal Way event on February 28th.
I like your idea, Boizeau, but I can't think of a bag that big. Do you use a hefty bag? And keep a label inside the hefty bag? The idea intrigues me. I agree with you that dryness is the enemy and that your system would keep them fresher longer. I also store them outside, in my case, the tool shed.
Storing hefty bags would be different, but not impossible.
JohnS
PDX OR
...I cut the ‘choicest’ 16 inches of scion wood from my ‘water shoots;’ soak 3 layers of newspaper in cold water; carefully lay it flat; lay the scions across it and roll them up; use a pencil (won’t bleed or distort like ink) to write a label on a separate piece of heavy white paper; tie (by wrapping string around) the label and the scions:
After ‘tying up’ each batch of scions I take two plastic bread bags; slip one over ‘most’ of one side … and the other over the opposite end; twist a rubber-band around each end; place it in a refrigerator and remember to bring it to the show!
When I get to the exchange they generally dice them into smaller segments to be put into cans for distribution. I once dabbed both cut ends with Doc Farwell’s grafting compound… but learned that wasn’t necessary as only a smidgen ‘browns’ at each end.
Right on.
Damp Newspaper is about the best thing going and pretty cheap too.
A lot of my wood is already treated just this way, but I need to wrap the rest as well.
The plastic bags I use are the jumbo size, and they only cover the bottom 1/2 of the scion. I don't seal them air tight.
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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