Preserving the Live Edge

The live edge staying attached to the wood slab is a product of when the tree was harvested, not something you do after you harvest it. Tree’s that are harvested in the winter (cold, tree is dormant) will keep their bark on much, much, much better than any other time of the year. Not to say that you can’t get lucky, but all of my live edge boards that have successfully kept their bark were from trees that were cut down in the winter.

If you harvest the tree during the growth season, the trees nutrients, water, etc…....are flowing through the cambium layer, and this dries out, causing the bark to detach.

You can read all about it in a book called “Understanding Wood”.

-- Jeff in Crystal Lake