Tohu varumine elus puudelt. Emotsioonid, eetika, esteetika ja seadused / The Collection of Birch Bark from Living Trees: Emotions, Ethics, Aesthetics and the Law

Abstract

Recent years in Estonia have seen a growing level of interest in working with birch bark, and yet practicing this craft requires accessibility to raw materials – birch bark – that are of suitable quality. As the act of felling trees damages the bark, handicraft and construction work that requires bark generally tends to harvest it from trees that are still growing. The author suggests that careful and mindful bark peeling only affects the health of the tree to a small extent and for a short period. However, the widespread ethic, aesthetic, and emotional attitudes in modern society do not look kindly upon removing bark from a living tree and allowing that tree to continue to grow. With this view in mind, the author concludes that it is currently more appropriate to remove bark only from those trees that are about to be cut down in the same year.