Betula occidentalis Betula occidentalis Betula occidentalis, the water birch or red birch, is a species of birch native to western North America, in Canada from Yukon east to western Ontario and southwards, and in the United States from eastern Washington east to western North Dakota, and south to eastern California, northern Arizona and northern New Mexico, and southwestern Alaska. It typically occurs along streams in mountainous regions. It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to high, usually with multiple trunks. The bark is dark red-brown to blackish, and smooth but not exfoliating. The twigs are glabrous or thinly hairy, and
Bark spud (tool) Bark spud (tool) The Bark spud, (also known as a Peeling Iron, Peeler Bar, Peeling Spud, or abbreviated to Spud) is an implement which is used to remove bark from felled timber. Most bark spuds have steel heads and wooden handles, typically hickory or ash. The head is curved, sometimes in one direction with a single cutting edge, and sometimes more dish shaped and sharpened on three sides. In use, the sharpened edge is slid between the bark and the wood, removing the bark from the tree in a number of strips. It is especially useful at removing bark without