Hickory Bark Harvesting

Class Description:

In this one-day class, we will harvest hickory bark from the Berea College forest.  Weather permitting, we’ll start the day with a visit to the woods to discuss good bark trees and safety considerations.  Then we’ll head back to the shop, where we’ll shave bark from a collection of hickory saplings.  

Bark is a traditional material for the woven-bottomed ladderback chairs commonly found within Appalachia. The bark, incredibly tough when dry yet flexible and pliable while still wet, is labor-intensive to collect. A smooth barked tree is felled before the crusty outer bark is shaved with the drawknife to reveal the light-colored inner bark. The inner bark is peeled and stored until use. Attendees will keep the bark they peel.

This is a physical class, community-style class, working beside a fellow craftsperson. We’ll work together to strip the bark and divide the collected coils amongst our group. 

Please bring a water bottle and wear longer pants.  We’ll have cold drinks and sugar snacks on hand for a boost.  

Required Tools: Drawknife. Utility knife. Work gloves. Tape measure

Other supplies: Work clothes.  

All material costs and daily lunches are included in the course fee at Pine Croft.