Harvesting Cramp Bark (Viburnum
opulus)
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| Harvested branches of Viburnum opulus |
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| Remaining stump will shoot vigorously |
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| Tough bark |
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| Smooth and easy to remove bark |
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| Cleaned up Viburnum opulus ready for bark removal |
The sap has been rising in our Cramp Bark shrubs, so leaves
are appearing and it is a good time to harvest bark. We selected shrubs which
have been growing since 2006 and are well-established alongside a grassy ride. Our
permaculture design provides lots of 'edges' for shrubs and trees like this.
The shrubs were cut by hand down to within
about 20 cm of the ground, leaving substantial stumps. The branches were then
sorted out for quality of bark (see pictures). Fatter and older stems have bark
which is less easy to remove, have many knots and bends, and are often dirty
from rain splashed-mud. Bearing in mind that it is likely that the active
constituents are greater in younger stems, we sought out the longer smooth and
straight stems from a pencil size width upwards, mostly up to 2 or 3 years old.
The youngest stems are easy to strip of leaves by running a hand up and down,
the older ones need to be trimmed of side shoots with secateurs. Once cleaned
up in this way, we found that the rising sap makes the bark easier to lift from
the stems- making a lengthways incision, the bark will lift away cleanly in sections
which can be cut short, or broken off at leaf axils. More on the processing of
the bark in future posts
Coppicing of a number of shrubs together means that we have
opened up the area to light and warmth. Taking the opportunity to clear out
reeds and brambles at the same time, this will give other smaller plants a
chance to get going. The area where we harvested is low-lying, near a riverside meadow and often
waterlogged for short periods in the winter. The Cramp Bark seems to relish
this relatively moist and fertile environment, which is somewhat shaded by
taller willows and alders around. Based on previous experience, this coppicing
will produce vigorous growth from the base and long straight shoots which can
be harvested in 2 to 3 years time. Meanwhile, we have noticed Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifolia) growing nearby,
but struggling against taller grasses and lack of light, and hope that this
will be encouraged by the extra space and light, to provide a viable harvest
later in the year. Alongside these Cramp Bark shrubs are some willows which have
been previously cut back and they can form the basis of further coppicing next
year.
