All parts of the tree can be used for handicrafts: the trunk, the bark, the branches and the roots – even the thinnest twigs can be used.

Traditionally, materials have been used where they have been found locally, which resulted in an economical approach towards natural resources. which was both eco-friendly and organic. This knowledge lives on within the handicraft movement.

With the right knowledge, you could make anything from tools, glue, ropes, baskets and beakers to brooms, shoes, carts, axe handles, instruments and furniture – from a birch tree! This requires knowing differences in growth, and knowing when and how the tree should be felled, stored and processed.

The wood also has different properties depending on how it is extracted from the tree trunk. It also makes a difference if the wood is dry or fresh, straight or crooked. There are methods for preparing the material ”from the root” in order to achieve desired properties - such as hard, rot-resistant or curved pieces of wood or timber.

It is fun and interesting to find your material on your own - and then make out of it what it is you need! But remember: always ask the landowner for permission before you take material. Read more on what you are allowed to do and not to do, under the link called ”Allemansrätten”.

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