Bark House Newsletter: March, 2008
Ask The Experts
Q: Are poplar bark shingles dry and stable, and how do you achieve that?
- Mike in Boulder, Colorado
A: Not all poplar bark shingles are created equal. HC efficiently handles our Bark House shingles from the early stages of harvesting in the woods all the way through to a finished piece if siding. Once bark is peeled and reaches our yards it is handled quickly and efficiently to get it initially graded, sticked and ready for the kiln. It is important to mention this because part of properly drying bark is the ability to handle it expeditiously prior to the actual kiln drying step. Once in the kilns, our material is professionally kiln dried under pressure to between 6-8% moisture content. This is optimal moisture for poplar bark siding, and at that point becomes dimensionally stable. It is then re-squared for precise installation, finally graded and palletized for storage. We then store all of our products in climate controlled facilities until time of shipment. To ensure quality, HC has an exclusive 5-point quality control program. You can ensure that you are getting the best quality, by purchasing products with the Bark House name.
- Matt Weatherman, Sales
Click here to Learn More the Bark House Difference.
Bark Buddies
share the space we live in
“Bark Buddies” is a fun way to increase our awareness of the world around us. Trees, animals, flowers, bugs, sun, people...all share the space we live in. They fill our lives and make them interesting. The Bark House lifestyle invites each of us to breathe in the beauty of our natural world. We invite you to share your discoveries.
Nan Chase: We are all anticipating the early flowers of Spring. Here’s a beauty to watch for: The Virginia Bluebell is a very early spring wildflower and a rare treat “en masse” as shown here. We love it for its carpet of color in sometimes bleak spring conditions. However, it doesn’t necessarily bloom like this every year.
Nan and Chris are the authors of Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature, due out August 2008 and published by Gibbs Smith.
For an early discount, or to read more about the book, click here.
Send images if you have them.
International Builders Show
HGTV films Highland Craftsmen
The International Builder’s Show had a decrease in attendance this year, but our booth was buzzing. Special guests included Tim Snyder, Editor of Fine Homebuilding, and Richard Karn from the hit TV series Tool Time. Marty nearly tackled Tom Silvia from This Old House to get him to take a quick peek. HGTV stopped by and interviewed “The Bark Man™”.
To see a clip of HGTV filming, click here. We’ll keep you up to date on when the show will air. We appreciate everyone that stopped by. You helped make this a great success.
Growing Green
how are our bark house shingles green?
“Greening” is a growing phenomenon. Every company that enters this process should be able to explain and demonstrate how their company’s practices and their community action is green. We would like to take the opportunity each month in this newsletter to share one way that we are greening.
Bark House® shingles are a “Super-Green” product and Highland Craftsmen Inc is the premier purveyor. From procurement, to processing, to maintenance, to end of life disposal, we want you to understand the why and how. When green includes a cultural, social and economic context, bark house shingles bring the house down. To get the facts on green, click here to read the brief in full.
In Our Next Issue
Split Rail Fencing, an American Tradition
Learn more about our newest product, split rail fencing.
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