It began as a joke, as many good ideas do. Build your own coffin? Hey . . . that’s a great idea! Let’s build a coffin and decorate it with birch bark and twigs. What a great tribute to our friend and ...

Linda Ross (right) has made several birch bark baskets with help from her friend, Helen Dick. (Sabine Poux/KDLL) When it’s warm and wet, birch bark can be folded into baskets — a container for berries ...

Birch bark has long been the favored material of basket makers in Finland, Sweden and Russia for making essential items such as containers, shoes, hats, and backpacks. The bark is naturally ...