Recently, Donna and I were in the area of Northern Vancouver Island floating around in a 10-passenger boat through the various straits, arms, and sounds located between Vancouver Island and the mainland. This is also the Inside Passage to Alaska. On land, we saw many old houses and new house constructed using Cedar. Cedar is plentiful since there are vast forests of that and other woods.

We stayed in a motel after the boat where both the interior and exterior was built entirely of cedar. It is a beautiful very light colored wood and this construction used wood which had knots which added to the beauty. It is also used as siding. There is also much influence of the First Nation (Indian) people there. They used Cedar to make bent boxes, masks, dishes etc.. Cedar is very pliable in sheets and can also be stripped right off a tree and the tree will grow new bark to cover the area. Here is how it is stripped:

Locate an ideal tree for peeling. You should look for a tree which is still living and does not have many branches or knots at the lower levels, allowing you to peel a smooth piece of bark.

Find a stick that is approximately two inches wide, and carve one end of the stick back with the knife until it is wedge shaped.

Mark off the area you will be peeling using an axe. Cut into the tree deep enough to cut through the bark to the core of the tree around the entire perimeter of the bark you will be peeling.

Pry the bark away from the tree gently by sliding the wedge-shaped end of the stick around the perimeter and under the cut portion of bark.

Peel the bark off of the tree after loosening it. Peel down carefully, and stop to loosen the bark with the wedge again if you encounter stiff resistance.

Peel the outer bark away from the inner bark by hand. The outer bark will peel away easily when pulled on, leaving you with just the strong inner bark.

Now -- All you have to do is drive there, find a Cedar tree, peel it, and hope you don't get arrested on the way home!

Don't forget your passport and Canadian money for the bail.