Heartwood – Black Spruce Cookies

• T. TOURIS

Wetlands are one of my favorite places to explore. The diversity of plant and animal life one can see on just a short paddle or walk through a wetland environment is incredible. So, when we were invited to explore the Tannersville Cranberry Bog, in the heart of the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, I was excited.

I won’t go into details about the bog trip, but I was not disappointed. I had never seen a pitcher plant in the wild until that day, nor a bog rosemary.

During our slow stroll along the boardwalk that runs through the bog, we were fortunate enough to be accompanied by a small group of people that have played a critical role over the years in preserving it. Many had helped construct the original boardwalk in 1979. In sharing their deep knowledge of the plants and bog history, it became clear that this was a place near and dear to their hearts. 

Now I have been known to purloin small logs and pieces of wood during my travels. So, when I saw a short, small log of black spruce lying along the boardwalk, I knew I had to have it. Thoughts of what to make from it immediately began to run through my head as I lugged it back to the truck (with the blessings of my hosts). The log, about 4 inches in diameter, was not going to yield much lumber. Maybe a small picture frame? Yawn. I wasn’t coming up with anything very interesting. 

Every child is amazed when they first learn about counting a tree’s rings to determine its age. When I cut a cross section of the log and examined the rings, I felt that same feeling of wonder. From what had appeared to be a log from a small, young spruce tree, I counted 65 growth rings. Some of the rings were so close together I had to use a magnifying glass to count them. By an amazing coincidence, 65 years ago was the year 1957–the year the Nature Conservancy purchased the bog. That small tree had been there for every year of the bog preservation effort and through all the hard work of the people involved.

I began by breaking down the log into cross sections about 1 inch thick, these are often called tree cookies by tree lovers. After cutting a baker’s dozen using a simple sled and the bandsaw, I then ran them through the drum sander. This made quick work of getting to a nice, smooth surface. 

Then it was off to the computer for some simple graphic design.

With a stack of cookies and the design in hand, I dropped in for a visit to our friends at Twisted Willow Fabrication. I knew they could do a great job of engraving the design onto the wood with their state-of-the-art laser setup. 

Who doesn’t love lasers?

In a few days, we had a stack of beautifully engraved cookies. A couple coats of finish and they will be ready to share; a thank you to all who have helped safeguard the unique and incredible spot known as Tannersville Cranberry Bog.

T. Touris is a retired-computer-programmer. He spends his free time designing and working in wood on his small woodland lot in Canadice, NY.