As you can see, harvesters local to Uganda practice environmentally friendly harvesting techniques when manufacturing Bark Cloth. As shown by the video the tree bark is expertly scraped off, one thin layer at a time. We see a line cut from the top of the tree to its base, and then around, on each opposing end in order for it to be cleanly peeled off. Harvesters must make sure not to cut too shallow or too deep. Cutting too shallow will result in an uneven or broken peel whilst cutting the tree too deep will damage the next existing layer of bark. After collecting and packing the tree bark, banana leaves are cut and then rubbed on the newly exposed tree trunk. After this, they proceed by wrapping the trees trunk in the banana leaves in order to protect the tree while it heals itself. The trees take 9 months to replace their bark. The next step to making tree bark cloth is to boil the bark for 20 minutes. Solar energy is used to boil the water (yes! very eco-friendly!)which then rids the bark of any impurities such as insects living in the bark and also softens the material. After boiling, the cloth is further softened with use of manual labour and hammers. Pounding the cloth results in an even and smooth texture.
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