Waldbart (ForstBeard) Holzmanufaktur - What actually is a forest beard?

The forest beard - a term from forestry

Man with a chainsaw cuts a tree trunk lying on the ground in the forest — Denny cuts black locust

When you see Waldbart founder Denny König for the first time, you can guess at first glance where the name Waldbart comes from :D.

And you're not wrong at all. Because the term actually describes a kind of fringed beard. However, not that of a person, but that of a tree. But more on that later.

As a former forester, Denny has seen (and produced) some forest beards.

This particular one is actually created when a tree is felled using the felling technology intended for this purpose

But before we get into the explanation, a few basics about felling trees.

General information about felling a tree

Hand sketch of a tree with notes on the felling technique — Sketch felling technique

To fell a tree, special felling techniques are used. These ensure that the tree falls to the ground in a targeted and controlled manner where it is supposed to land. At this point I would like to expressly point out that this article does not represent instructions for felling a tree, but only covers rudimentary basics. Felling requires long training and a lot of experience, especially in tree approaching, as well as the necessary professional equipment. In addition, there are various different versions of felling technology that are used depending on the circumstances. Here we will only go into the absolute basics very superficially to clarify terms. In order to bring a tree to the ground safely and accurately, a felling notch (or fall notch) is first created. This is an angled opening on the side facing the direction of fall. The chord is the straight line at the apex of the notched roof and notched sole.

If you were to stretch a string from the fall notch base at right angles or vertically away from the tree, this would be the exact direction of felling. To put it simply, a felling cut is then made from the back of the tree. But not into the fall notch, but only up to just before the fall notch. The distance between the notch and the felling cut is the only remaining wood between the piece of trunk to be felled and the stick (lower part of the tree when felling). This is called the break bar. The break bar works like a hinge. If the tree begins to fall, the fall notch gradually closes, the fibers of the break bar now guide the tree until the fall notch is closed and they finally tear off. This guidance prevents the tree from falling “anywhere”. In addition to the breaking bar, the breaking level is important. It results from the height offset of the felling cut to the notch base. The felling cut is always placed above the notch sole. The resulting step prevents the tree from tearing off at the break bar and slipping backwards over the felling cut surface. In the case of rope-assisted felling, however, the breaking level is set negative. Because here it is supposed to prevent the trunk from tearing off and slipping forward when pulled in the direction of felling. The fracture step is therefore an abutment. The breaking bar and breaking level are the absolute safety guarantee for the person who falls the tree manually (with a chainsaw).

Wooden beard

Now the trunk is on the ground, the break bar has been torn off. The torn fibers of the fracture ridge protrude from the stump, the rest of the tree that remains on the ground. And on the trunk? The counterpart of the frayed wood fibers can also be found at the base of the trunk. And exactly these are called forest beards because of their appearance. After felling, the forest worker usually removes the forest beard with a smooth cut at the base of the trunk.

The forest beard is like a fingerprint

Since no tree is identical in shape and texture, and the ledge never breaks off when it is felled, every forest beard looks different. It is as unique as a fingerprint, a truly unique piece.

Just like the works of the Waldbart Holzmanufaktur .