The intrigue of building a birch bark canoe lies in the fact that all the necessary materials can be sustainably harvested from a healthy boreal forest: birch bark, cedar, spruce root and spruce gum. During this class, you'll spend two days in a variety of forest habitats harvesting these materials and preparing them. For anyone seriously considering construction of a birch bark canoe, mastering the harvest process is an essential step. There are many misconceptions that a birch bark canoe is easy to build. Harvesting the right materials poorly will cost you dearly. In an apprenticeship-type of learning environment, Erik will pass along the required skills to create a desired length and shape of a finished canoe by better understanding what materials are available and what it takes to harvest those materials properly.