Kuksas

[DocG]

Simmer for a couple of hours. I do not know how much sugar.
I do not know what the sugar does to the wood even. All I know is that one guy told me that years ago back in Sweden.
Reindeer antler they place in a brook for several month, cut up in large pieces , then expose to the sun for several months again.
It was a Same artist.
Personally I harvest Birch when it is winter, so less sap in the wood. Not much cracks when it dries, and maybe it works in UK too, specially now when you have cold weather?

Thanks for that info. I'll look around for a downed birch - bound to be a few after the recent winds.
Good luck with your harvesting.

 

[Robson Valley]

Your birch is not our birch by a long shot. You can try to apply what I say about our species and just mess with it.
See how your wood responds to different treatments. Obviously, it has been carved for millennia.
Start with Janne's suggestions from the Sami people's experiences.

Making utensils from out birch bark is easy here, great sheets of it for canoes even ($5,000+)
Even the ancient First Nations artistry of birch bark biting.