In class we
touched on using the bark of white birch trees as paper and potential craft
material, but why is the bark falling off the white birch tree in the first
place? Trees actually grow from the inside out. As new layers are being formed,
the outer layers of the tree become dead tissue or what we know as bark. The
tree begins to outgrow the bark which causes the bark to break and pull apart. All
trees experience breakage in the bark, but trees shed their bark in different
ways. White birch trees shed their
bark in curled strips that expose the inner layer, called the cambrium. Rapid
expansion of trees can cause vertical cracks in the bark. Weather can also
cause breaks in the bark. If it is a warm winter day direct sunlight can heat
up the bark and if the temperature drops at night, the inner layer will die and
cause thick sheets of bark to fall off. This sheet of bark can be used for
future crafts!
The bark
from the birch trees has caught the attention of many crafters. Birch bark has
been used to add a rustic feeling to whatever you create. Birch bark strips are
actually sold online! If you happen to have some Birch trees around here is a readily
easy craft you can do. The most common and easy craft to make is simply
wrapping birch bark around a flower vase, mason jar, or a cylindrical object.
If you are working with young bark you just simply need to remove the bark from
the tree, cut the bark into the desired shape, and glue the bark onto the
cylindrical object. If you are working with old bark you want to steam it, to
make the bark easy to work with and just follow the same steps. You can tie the
bark with a yarn to secure it and also add more a rustic feeling.
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