WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST?
This was certainly a historical find. One of our members in Otsego County has existing on his property, perhaps the last pile of hemlock bark leftover from the barkpeeling days of the 19th Century. Hemlock bark was used to extract tannins to make leather products. You can see from the photo, that individual pieces of bark can still be made out. The other photo shows what hemlock bark looks like when recently peeled and stacked used for my personal hobby tanning operation.
May the Forest Be with You,
Ryan Trapani
Director of Forest Services
Catskill Forest Association