Bark House Newsletter: October 2008

Ask The Expert

We invite you to submit an email and have a Highland Craftsmen expert answer your question. 

Q:  “How do you procure such large poplar bark panels?” Andy, Portland Maine
A:  It’s not easy. Large sheets are enormously heavy and easily fractured in the field, so great efforts are required to harvest and transport them to our yard. A fresh peeled panel will weigh double what it does dried. Maybe one in a hundred trees that have been felled will even peel smoothly enough to yield an un-broken sheet of bark. A panel’s length is determined by the length of the log or by the peeler’s choice in the field. Width is determined by the diameter of the log. For example, by using a little geometry, if one had a 20” log he could expect to yield over a 60” wide panel if peeled successfully. However, even if the sheet makes it to our yard, it must make it past strict grading, kiln drying, squaring, and multiple opportunities to break from all the handling during processing and warehousing. So, when you purchase one of these giants, admire not only its beauty but the incredible amount of human energy that went in to it.  The Bark Man ™

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, weather, 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 recently received an email from Connie Nelson in Arizona who loves trees and whose company sells Bark Buddy plush toys.  You can click on this link to learn more, or email Connie.

Poplar Bark House® Panels

architect wins award for NY project
panels are making the news

Image: Lyn Rice AIA shows off PBHP at opening ceremony.

Highland Craftsmen’s Poplar Bark House Panels can be seen in the finest establishments from east coast to west coast as well as in important publications.

The September issue of Architectural Record magazine features the Parson’s New School for Design on Fifth Avenue in New York.  Lyn Rice, AIA redesigned a dysfunctional space and integrated Bark House panels on the entry wall, click here to read more.  This project inspired the Benjamin Moore Color Trend Experts to cite our Poplar Bark House Panels as an inspiration for their 2009 Color Pulse.  This team sets the standard in color forecasting for many industries including home and fashion. 

Gordon’s Salon and Spas website showcases their staff in front of our bark house panels, used prominently in this unique Chicago Resort.  “The Gordon Way is excellence and consistency” and embraces a natural aesthetic.  There is no wonder they chose our exceptional products to express these qualities.

In Maryland, The Redwood Restaurant used the panels on a once cold and uninviting wall.  The Washington Post notes: “Among the forward-thinking design details are an entire wall of bark, which acts like a noise sponge in the airy lounge...”.

Manager of The Woodland Restaurant in Texas is quoted in Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs from Nature, stating “If I had a nickle everytime someone touches the bark, I would be rich.”

Restaurants, hotels, spas and retail outlets have learned the incredible benefits of using our natural, green products.  Home owners love the intimacy with nature they experience in their own homes.  Some suggested commercial uses we have identified also include: foyers, libraries, wineries, school science departments, quiet reflective areas and high stress areas such as hospitals or physician waiting rooms.

Growing Green

using alternative energy sources

“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.

We’ve expressed the green attributes of our poplar bark house panels.  You can click here if you missed it. So, this gives us the opportunity to discuss our utilization of alternative fuels and the benefits of purchasing renewable energy credits.

At HC, we use propane fueled forklifts as opposed to gas.  There is an approx. 8% reduction in CO2 emissions when using LPG vs octane - more importantly, per volume, LPG produces approx. 9% more energy than its counterpart, and costs approx. 37% less.

We have increased the efficiency of our drying kilns by 67% by adding new technologies and a more efficient energy source, natural gas.

We purchase renewable energy credits through Progress Energy.  By doing so we help support the development of renewable energy resources and reduce our personal impact on the environment.

Permanent link to this article.

---