Bark House Newsletter: September 2008

Ask The Expert

We invite you to submit an email and have a Highland Craftsmen expert answer your question.  chris@barkhouse.com
Q:  “ So why can’t I just cut and use my own twigs and poles for my interior project?”
A:  You can. However, there are a few issues that you will face that could may that task challenging. First, combing a forest to find exactly the right species, correct diameter, correct length, and quantity needed is time consuming. We have over 500 vendors to search for you, so we can procure your needs quickly. Second, for applications like our moldings, very strict grading is observed to achieve the necessary straightness. Next, we have designed and built highly specialized tools and equipment to cut and manipulate this material in order to take away the more difficult installation problems you will inevitably incur. Last of all, for interiors it is very important that the material be sterile. No one wants a potential insect infestation. We run all necessary material for interior usage through our kilns for a heat sterilization cycle.  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.  I have asked our expert, Marmon Thompson that is in the field everyday to provide a story for us to enjoy each month.  Below are his observations.

Pollination is an important step for seed plants to reproduce.  Meet two common pollinators, bees and butterflies.  Information for this article came from The National Forest Service via Marmon Thompson.  The image was taken by Todd Bush while we were out on a photo shoot for our bark house projects.

Bees are well documented pollinators in the natural and agricultural systems of the Central Appalachian Broadleaf Forest. A wide range of crops including apples, alfalfa, strawberries and blueberries are just a few plants that benefit from bee pollinators. Most of us are familiar with the colonies of honey bees that have been the workhorses of agricultural pollination for years in the United States. They were imported from Europe almost 400 years ago.  There are nearly 4000 species of native ground and twig nesting bees in the U.S. Some form colonies while others live and work a solitary life. Native bees currently pollinate many crops and can be encouraged to do more to support agricultural endeavors if their needs for a nesting habitat are met and if suitable sources of nectar, pollen, and water are provided. Bees have tongues of varying lengths that help determine which flowers they can obtain nectar and pollen from.

Butterflies tend to be eye-catching, as are the flowers that attract them. They prefer areas where they have full sun and are protected from the wind. They like open areas with bare earth and large stones where they can bask, and moist soil from which they may get needed minerals.  A diverse group of butterflies are present in garden areas and woodland edges that provide bright flowers, water sources, and specific host plants. Numerous trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants support butterfly populations.  They usually look for flowers that provide a good landing platform.  Butterflies eat rotten fruit and even dung, so don’t clean up all the messes in your garden and consider what butterfly larvae may be on “weed species” before cutting!  We can destroy important habitat for these gentle creatures and not be aware that we have.

Bark House® Twigs

the importance of twigs

Twigs are critically important in identification of trees, shrubs and vines, especially in wintertime.
The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the twig bark is also important, as is the thickness and nature of any pith of the twig.

HC clients use twigs as architectural accents for a consistently warm and authentic natural look.  They adorn cabinets and furniture, picture frames, shelving, light fixtures and handmade boxes.  Our twigs are steralized which rids them of bugs and stabalizes the material for consistent use.  We can split them in half, fourths, three quarter or leave them as whole rounds.  We have several species from which to choose so there are options in color and texture.

Growing Green

the bark house twig green factor

“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.

Twigs, as we call them or branches are cut while HC vendors are cutting down the whole bush, or small tree in the case of rhododendron or mountain laurel or as a matter of pruning in the case of maple.

The rhododendron or mountain laurel plant, which we predominately use, is usually being cut in order to re-grow a bush that can be dug as a shrub, referred to in the nursery industry as a “collected plant”.  This has apparently been a major source of income in many mountain counties, with a steady demand for 70 years or more.  Most of the plants are shipped to the northeastern states where they are also native.  (Mountain laurel is the state flower of Connecticut).  click here to read more...

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