CHAPTER XXIII

BARKING OAK

Previous to the war the price of oak bark—about £2 10_s._ per ton—rendered it questionable whether from a purely financial point of view the operations of stripping and harvesting should be undertaken. Now, however, with bark at fully three times that figure, the operation is to be recommended.

The period of bark-stripping and harvesting is one of the most anxious seasons of the year with the forester, as the quality of the bark is so largely dependent upon the weather during the time that intervenes between the stripping and stacking, or delivery, and not less so upon the carrying out of the work at the proper time, to secure easy and expeditious peeling. In most cases the time when the bud is just expanding into leaf is that which gives the greatest weight of bark of the best quality, with the smallest amount of labour. By deferring the work, even for a few days, there is often a loss in weight amounting to as much as 10 per cent., and a great deterioration in quality.

Even in the most favoured situations it is seldom that the season for stripping extends beyond twenty-eight days. The advantages of early stripping are so well known that any comment on the subject is unnecessary; suffice it to say that, immediately the bark commences to “run” freely, no time should be lost in making a start, and the work should be prosecuted with vigour and dispatch until completed.

The proper time to commence barking cannot, however, be fixed with any amount of certainty, much depending on the season, whether early or late, as well as on the district of the country in which the operation is to be performed. During ordinary seasons, and in most parts of England, bark-stripping commences during the third week in April and continues for about a month, or until such time as the trees are in full leafage, whereas in some parts of Scotland, especially the north, the operation is frequently nearly a month later. No mistake can, however, arise as to the right time to start barking in any locality, as in all cases the period when the bud is first bursting into leaf will be found the proper time for felling to insure easy stripping and the best quality of bark. As the season of bark-stripping is, therefore, of short duration, every preparation should be made beforehand—trees marked and numbered, tools in readiness, and squads arranged—so that an early start may be made, as, by deferring the work beyond the time stated above, there is not only a perceptible loss in weight, but considerable deterioration in the quality of bark as well.

Elaborate directions regarding the arrangements of squads and tools to be used are unnecessary, as almost every district has its own peculiarities in this way. The tools generally in use are heavy axes and the cross-cut saw for felling, hand-bills and saws for pruning, peeling-irons or chisels for removing the bark, scrapers for removing moss, and light wooden mallets for beating refractory bark or such as cannot be removed by the peeling-irons alone.

Previously to felling the trees a man or stout lad is sent before, who removes the bark from the root upwards for a distance of 2 ft. or 3 ft.; this not only prevents its being injured when laying in and felling the tree, but is convenient for after-stripping as well. When the stools are intended for reproduction great care is necessary to avoid tearing or loosening the bark from the roots. After being thus prepared the trees are felled in the usual manner, those under 6 in. in diameter being cut with the axe; above that size it is found an economy of time and timber to fell with the cross-cut saw. Following in the rear of the cutters should be a squad of men, to clear the trunk and larger limbs of all branches down to 1 in. in diameter, leaving the limbs to be peeled as part of the tree.

Heavy timber and large branches are usually peeled where they fall, but it will be found convenient to have the smaller trees and branches carried out to some open space adjoining the stacking ground, and peeled while one end is supported by means of two forked sticks placed against each other. When the bark of small branches cannot readily be removed by the peeling-iron, a smooth and flat stone is brought into use, beside which the peeler sits, and with one hand holds the branch on the stone, moving it along from one end to the other, at the same time applying the mallet with the other hand until the bark becomes loosened from the wood. Here it may be well to issue a caution against a too frequent use of the mallet, which should never be brought into request when the bark can be otherwise removed from the wood, as all hammering and beating not only diminishes the quality of tannin, but has a tendency to blacken the fleshy part of the bark and cause rapid decay in a bad season. The body, or trunk bark, is removed in lengths of from 30 in. to 36 in., and in as large pieces as possible.

[Illustration: BARKING TOOLS]

A dry, open and airy situation, convenient to the work, but without the wood, should be selected on which to harvest the bark, and rather than this should be done in a sheltered, humid spot, the bark should be carted to some distance off. The drying racks, or ranges, may be fully 2 ft. high, drooping somewhat to one side, and formed of forked sticks driven firmly in the ground, while stout rods are placed transversely upon these. It should also be so arranged as that not only may the rain be thrown off, but so that the ends of the bark may be facing the prevailing wind, thereby insuring a current of air through and beneath the mass. After being carted or carried to the drying-ground, the small bark is spread out loosely on the stage to a depth of about 6 in., and thatched or covered over with the larger pieces as a means of protection against rain. Each day’s bark should be cleared up, and put on the range the same evening, and oftener, if found necessary, during damp showery weather, keeping the white or fleshy part downwards and using the larger pieces as covers to run off the rain.

During favourable weather the bark will be ready for stacking in about a fortnight from the time it was placed on the stage, but should close damp weather intervene, it may be found necessary to turn the bark occasionally, thus adding to the length of time required for harvesting. It should, however, be remembered that the less turning the bark receives after being placed on the stage the better will the quality be. Well-seasoned bark has the fleshy side of a creamy colour, whereas such as has been exposed to the sun or rain is of a dull brown, and is wanting in tannin matter, and consequently of inferior value.

As soon as the bark is thoroughly dry and ready for stacking, which may readily be ascertained by its breaking freely across rather than bending or yielding to pressure, it should be secured in a shed, ricked, or delivered to the tanner.

In stacking bark the rick should not be made too wide—say about 9 ft.—but well hearted, so that the side pieces may have a good fall or declivity outwards to throw off the rain. The rick may be of any length, according to the quantity of bark on hand, and of a height proportionate to the width. The largest pieces of bark should be reserved for thatching the rick, the whole being covered over by a tarpaulin or waterproof cloth of some kind. In most cases the bark is chipped previously to being sold, but as this necessitates having a large shed at command, the system is not generally adopted. There are, however, several advantages accruing from this method, not the least of which is that the bark may be chopped up as it is removed from the drying-stands, thus saving the expense of stacking. Chopping the bark can also be done by the workmen during wet weather, and when not otherwise engaged.

In computing the quantity of bark before stripping, we have found the following data fairly reliable:—

1. A well-balanced tree with a good head will yield about 6 cwt. of bark for every ton of measurable timber, if branches down to an inch in diameter are peeled.

2. Hedgerow trees usually yield about a ton of bark to every three tons of timber.

3. Trees growing in close woodland are usually thin barked, the yield being about a ton of bark to every 4½ tons of timber.

4. Oak poles will average five tons of timber to a ton of bark.

Tall, clean stems, as are produced when the poles are grown thickly together, with small heads, give the smallest yield in proportion to the quantity of timber, and short stems with spreading heads the largest.

The cost of production is as follows:—

£ _s._ _d._ Labour, peeling and harvesting 1 10 0 Cartage to railway station, including loading (this is the average from six districts) 0 7 6 Loss on four months’ delay in selling the timber, which, but for the bark, would have been felled in winter at 5 per cent. 0 5 0 Customary terms of payment, less 2½ per cent. 0 2 0 Superintendence, etc. 0 1 6 ——————————— £2 6 0

It has been carefully estimated that there is a loss of fully 12 per cent. of wood, caused by felling the oak during the barking season. In other words, the proportion of sap wood to the whole tree is about 14 per cent., which, for the majority of purposes to which oak timber is applied, is rendered by the peeling of little or no value.

We may say, however, that 2 per cent. can be profitably utilized, which still leaves us with a considerable loss on the whole tree.

The average price of the best oak is 2_s._ per ft., 12 per cent. of which is as nearly as possible 3_d._ per ft., or £1 17_s._ 6_d._ per ton of bark to 150 ft. of wood.

This, with the £2 6_s._ per ton cost of production, brings the total to £4 3_s._ 6_d._, leaving a considerable balance on the wrong side at pre-war prices.