Cedar Bark Harvesting with Marlene Liddle
By Elim Sly
August 25, 2025
The Workshop:
On June 25, 2025, CHN Lands Stewardship Director, Marlene Liddle, led a cedar bark harvesting workshop at a Taan Forest block slated for logging. This activity aimed to foster camaraderie among participants from Taan Forest, HaiCo, CHN Lands, Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), and the Ministry of Forests. It also sought to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the forests of Haida Gwaii, particularly for the cedar trees that grow here.
“The purpose of the workshop was to have these discussions together in the forest; to teach participants the respect we have for our sister, cedar, and to bring awareness to the types of cedar that weavers require,” said Marlene in an interview on August 14, 2025.
The Haida Gwaii Land Use Objective Order (HGLUOO) guides Haida Gwaii’s forestry companies in ecosystem-based management, and includes protections for archeological features, culturally modified trees (CMTs) and monumental cedar trees. The HGLUOO does not, however, include a provision that protects cedar trees suitable for bark harvesting.
Typically, although it varies between species and depends mainly on growing conditions, a weaver will select a cedar tree between 70 and 150 years old. Most trees older than this are too large and the bark too thick to harvest.
The HGLUOO’s lack of protection for this age is particularly concerning as naturally regenerating cedar on Haida Gwaii is declining due to the preferential browsing habits of k’aad • k’áad Sitka black-tailed deer, which stunts the growth of shrubs and brush, amounting to fewer young trees maturing to this age.
Workshop participants took turns pulling strips from a selected tree. They then learned to remove the outer bark and clean the remnants with a paring knife. The bark was bundled and donated to the elder centre in G̱aw Tlagée.
“We had a blast,” reflected Marlene. “I was sad to see the day end. The workshop provided a better understanding of each other and gave us something to bond over. A good time was had by all.”
An Introduction to ‘Wiiguuxaay • Ta xáy Weaving Through Harvesting:
Marlene Liddle has been stripping cedar bark for over 25 years. She started in the spring of 2000, gathering and preparing cedar bark for the elders with Rollie Williams, and Daren and Barney Edgars. “I had spent years away from home, expressed Marlene. “Hiking around looking for cedar was my way of making up for lost time. That is probably why I enjoyed it so much.” Marlene remembers being happy to collect bark and pull it through the cutter and that, for the first seven years, that was all she did. She had no interest in learning to weave at that time. In exchange for her harvest, the elders would give her baked goods. A prize well worth the effort, recalls Marlene.
In 2007, Christine Carty offered a cedar ‘wiiguuxaay • ta xáy weaving workshop for beginners. “Christine told me that I was getting too old to only harvest and that now was the time I should learn to weave, and so I did.” Since 2007, Marlene has completed a total of 250 hats at a rate of nearly 14 per year. This impressive number translates to at least four hours of daily ‘wiiguuxaay • ta xáy. In addition to her hats, Marlene has also woven baskets. “‘Wiiguuxaay • Ta xáy has become a huge part of my identity,” stated Marlene. “If I am not ‘wiiguuxaay • ta xáy, I am preparing bark.”
“From work, I go home and I nap. When I wake, I cook dinner. Then, after washing my hands with hot, soapy water to remove whatever I have just cooked off them, I apply a tallow-based ointment to act as a barrier between my skin and the cedar bark. Then, I begin. It is important not to bring stress into this work; otherwise, you’ll pull too tightly on your twine, and it'll snap,” said Marlene.
“Before you begin to weave, you must first learn to harvest. When you have learned how to identify the right tree, remove its bark, and prepare it, you can start ‘wiiguuxaay • ta xáy square baskets, then round ones, and eventually hats. From there, you can go any direction you wish to, finding your own specialty.”
An Instruction on Harvesting Cedar Bark:
By Marlene Liddle
“I like to think that the same qualities I look for when identifying a tree for ‘wiiguuxaay • ta xáy purposes translate to a future monumental; those used to construct poles, canoes and house beams. When looking at a tree in its earlier stage that’s good for bark harvesting, I look for trees that grow straight without twists and too many knots.”
“There are different rules for harvesting red and yellow cedar bark. Ts’uu • Ts’úu Western red cedar, typically found at lower elevations, allows for harvesting up to one-third of its bark, whereas sG̱aahlan • sG̱ahláan yellow cedar, the more sensitive of the two, which is often found in higher, colder areas, should be harvested more conservatively, allowing only up to a quarter of its diameter.”
Regardless of the species, Marlene emphasizes taking only what is needed with gratitude and yahguudang • yahgudáng respect for the tree, which she calls her “cedar sister.”
“You must spend time searching for a good tree to harvest from. I begin scouting in Taada Kung • Kúng Gyáangaas January and SGan T’aal Kung • Táan Kungáas February. You do not want one that appears sickly, has too many knots, or has too thick bark. Next, you check to see if it is growing straight and if the tree is large enough to harvest from. You should be able to wrap your arms around the tree without your fingertips touching. Harvesting from trees smaller than this makes them vulnerable and more susceptible to disease and decay.”
“After checking the tree’s diameter, you can thank our cedar sister for giving us a piece of her clothing to make what we need.”
“When you are ready to harvest, cut into the wood just enough to penetrate the cambium layer. As soon as you achieve this, use your hatchet to start the bark so that you can pull it up. I like to use the width of my four fingers (3.5 inches or 9 centimetres) as a guiding measurement for the width of the strips. Despite what the tree might allow, I usually take four strips of bark.”
“I do it this way because removing the outer bark from a strip of this size is more easily done and results in less waste than if I took a wider strip. 3.5 inches is the same width as Jerry’s leather cutter, which I use to pull the bark through once removing its outer layer.”
“It is important to remember that the strips taper as they are pulled upward.”
“While it is true that you can take more from the bigger trees, you’re more likely to get caught up in the high knots. This tells you to stop. You do not want to leave a long strand of bark hanging from the tree.”
“Yahguudang • Yahgudáng is knowing when to stop.”
“The longest piece I have ever pulled was from a sG̱aahlan • sG̱ahláan up in the mountains and was nearly 72 feet long. It was very heavy because sG̱aahlan • sG̱ahláan can hold 10 times its weight in water, and this was just after a rain.”
“To bring your bark out of the bush. You must remove all the outer bark so that you can bundle it up. I put my bundles into a garbage bags, which keep the moisture in and the dirt off, and then I put the bags into a more easily transportable Ikea bag to carry them out.”
“I am afraid we may lose this as a piece of our culture if we are not more proactive in sharing this knowledge.”
“It is hard work to harvest and weave cedar. Both are very involved practices. It is time-consuming and requires patience. You must be calm and in good mind and spirit because if you are not, it will negatively affect your work. You’ll hatchet your bark to pieces if you are angry, frustrated, or become too tense. It’ll even show in the prepping.”
“It is important to be precise. Be sure you have prepared your bark showing yahguudang • yahgudáng for how long it took to grow from the tree. Do it slowly and methodically to give yourself a quality piece of bark to produce a quality piece of ‘wiiguuxaay • ta xáy.”
“It was inspiring to learn what cedar means to you, your art, and the community.” Jonathan Velarde, West Coast Stewardship Coordinator, Nature Conservancy of Canada
Taan Forest block: LOW003 – June 25, 2025: Virginia Hudson and Jacqueline Self pull a cedar strip from the base of a sG̱aahlan • sG̱ahláan within Taan’s forest tenure off East Yak and New Year’s Main on June 25, 2025. Photo: Jonathan Velarde
Taan Forest block: LOW003 – June 25, 2025: A recent culturally modified tree (CMT) is pictured at a block within Taan’s forest tenure off East Yak and New Year’s Main on June 25, 2025. Photo: Jonathan Velarde