Tanbark is the bark of certain species of trees, traditionally used for

tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

hides into

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

. The words "

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...

", "

tan Tan or TAN may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...

," and " tawny" are derived from the

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functione ...

''tannare'', "to convert into leather."

Bark mill Bark mills, also known as Catskill's mills, are water, steam, horse, ox or wind-powered edge mills used to process the bark, roots, and branches of various tree species into a fine powder known as tanbark, used for tanning leather. This powder ...

s are horse- or oxen-driven or water-powered

edge mill An edge mill is a mill used for crushing or grinding in which stones roll around on their edges on a level circular bed. They were developed in China in the third century and are still used today in remote villages around the world. When the mill ...

s and were used in earlier times to shred the tanbark to derive tannins for the leather industry. A "barker" was a person who stripped bark from trees to supply bark mills.

Tanbark around the world

Holford, waterwheel at Combe House Hotel - geograph

In Europe,

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

is a common source of tanbark.

Quercitannic acid Quercitannic acid is one of the two forms of tannic acid found in oak bark and leaves. The other form is called gallotannic acid and is found in oak galls. The quercitannic acid molecule is also present in quercitron, a yellow dye obtained from ...

is the chief constituent found in oak barks. The bark is taken from young branches and twigs in oak

coppice Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeate ...

s and can be up to 4 mm thick; it is grayish-brown on the outside and brownish-red on the inner surface. In some areas of the United States, such as northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, "mulch" is often called tanbark, even by manufacturers and distributors. In these areas, the word "mulch" may refer to

peat moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

or to very fine tanbark. In

, ''

Notholithocarpus densiflorus ''Notholithocarpus densiflorus'', commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak, is a broadleaf tree in the family Fagaceae, and the type species of the genus ''Notholithocarpus''. It is native to the far western United States, particularly Oregon ...

'' (commonly known as the ''tanoak'' or ''tanbark-oak'') was used. In America, condensed tannins are also present in the bark of blackjack oak (''

Quercus marilandica ''Quercus marilandica'', the blackjack oak, is a small oak, one of the red oak group ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''. It is native to the eastern and central United States. Description ''Quercus marilandica'' is a small deciduous tree growing t ...

''). In New York, on the slopes of

Mount Tremper Mount Tremper, officially known as Tremper Mountain and originally called Timothyberg, is one of the Catskill Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. It is located near the hamlet of Phoenicia, in the valley of Esopus Creek. At in elevatio ...

, hemlock bark was a major source of tanbark during the 19th century. Around the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

, sumach (''

Rhus coriaria ''Rhus coriaria'', commonly called Sicilian sumac, tanner's sumach, or elm-leaved sumach, is a deciduous shrub to small tree in the cashew family Anacardiaceae. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia. The dried fruits are used as a spi ...

'') leaves and bark are used. In Africa and Australia, acacia (called "wattle") bark is used by tanners. One ton of wattle or

mimosa ''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 590 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek word (''mimos''), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -''osa'', "resemb ...

bark produces about 150 lbs of pure

.''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge'', Vol II (1847), Charles Knight, London, p.873. Used tanbark is employed in horticulture and spread on flower beds and in glass houses to keep down weeds and protect plant roots. File:EichenLoheSchaeler1.jpg, Tool to recover bark from oak branches File:Schleissen 1.jpg, Recovery of bark from oak branches File:Schleissen 2.jpg, Another view of the process File:Oakbark.jpg, The bark of an oak tree File:Young red oak bark.jpg, Young red oak bark

References

External links

{{Non-timber forest products Tanning (leather) Non-timber forest products

Tanbark around the world

See also

References

External links