Mission

“If I was in a room with Bark House bark wall coverings, I would know that I had found a place where I belong.”

Carol Sanford – Lead Disruptor in Regenerative Business Development

Our mission is to elevate the regenerative capacity of the Appalachian Forest through the crafting of bark wall finishes – and reconnect people and nature.

Bark House believes…

that we cannot fully value the forest without re-valuing the forest community.

that we can elevate the strategy of nature in the crafting of wall finishes.

Right Fit Jobs

In this area, right-fit jobs mean keeping generational farms intact and supporting small logging crews to do good work in the forest. It means expanding financial opportunities in an economically distressed community. One hundred percent of the material we procure is sourced in Appalachia. We’ve trained over a thousand loggers across 5-states, representing 45 counties who can earn 3-times the pay for up-cycled bark as for the tree alone. Right-fit-jobs keep the local people in contact with the forest and the natural systems that they appreciate.

Honoring Forests And The People Who Live and Work In Them

Our manufacturing processes honor the strategy of trees that produce clean air, contribute to clean streams and water systems, hold the soil intact and produce nutrient-rich soil. Because we use solar and hand-processing, our poplar wall panels hold more carbon than all our manufacturing produces. We use zero water in direct manufacturing, do stream-bank restoration projects, and stream clean-ups. We monitor watershed quality reports. Our pure manufacturing means that the exterior shingles will bio-degrade and build clean soil. In the manufacturing world, these accomplishments are immense.

We believe that the best design is regenerative and supports living-legacy projects. The processes we employ support our clients to invest in quality on a different level – to invest in pure beauty – to invest in a future where forests are healthy and climate systems are in balance.

Safe, Healthy Materials

Bark House Poplar Bark Interior and Exterior Wall Coverings earned the world’s first Cradle to Cradle PLATINUM level certification. In 2018, the PLATINUM level was the most stringent material health certification on the market. This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material re-utilization, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and instituting strategies for social responsibility.

Community-Volunteer Focus

If you’ve followed us for a while, you know all the community projects we’ve been involved with or led. You can read about the impacts in our EmBark Blog. Currently, we are working with ForestHer on the Impact and Evaluations Committee to understand and document the impact ForestHer NC is having on private land conservation in North Carolina and the Workshop Planning Committee to develop and implement workshops, training sessions, and field tours for women landowners and natural resource professionals. Bark House is proud to be a woman-owned forestry business.

Regenerative Aim

Our regenerative aim is not an add-on program, a side-line or a part of who we are. It is at the core of how and why we do business and aligns with the following Guiding Principles:

• Every action is taken in consideration of its role in our whole-system.
• Our products are crafted in their purest form to present the natural diversity of the Appalachian forest. Their making supports prosperity and diversity.  Cleaner water, carbon sinks, and clean soil are by-products of our work. 
• We aim for future generations to live their fullest lives in celebration of the great Appalachian forest and forest community.