Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

222 CAMPING AND WOODCRAFTproof shelter in this way, from the bark of youngchestnut trees, for example, in less than an hour.It will not last long, however, as the sun will curlthe troughs inward. If a tree is felled for the purposeof stripping its bark, first place a short log nearthe butt as a skid for it to fall on.For neater and more permanent jobs the barkmust be flattened, and the rough outer bark must h«removed Cexceot birch, which is always smooth )-^only the tough, fibrous, soft inner bark being used»Fig. 59.—Bark Tilt _^For rough work the outer bark may simply be"rossed" off with a hatchet, but for nice jobs thebark should be treated as described below.If only a moderate-sized sheet isneeded, the treemay not have to be felled. First girdle the treejust above the swell of the butt, by cutting throughinto the sapwood. Then girdle it again as high upas you can reach. Connect these two rings by aVertical slit through the bark. Now cut into wedgeshapethe larger end of a four-foot length of sapling;this is your "spud" or barking tool. With itgently work the bark free along one edge of the uprightslit, and thus proceed around the tree till thewhole sheet falls off. If the girdles are 5 feet apart,a tree 2 feet in diameter will thus yield a sheet about5 X 6J feet, and a 3-foot tree will afford one 5 x 9j^feet. The bark is laid on the ground for a fewdays to dry in the sun, and is then soaked in water,which supples it and makes the inner bark easy toremove from the outer.