Driftwood
Driftwoodiswoodthat has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. It is part ofbeach wrack.
In somewaterfrontareas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and food for birds, fish and other aquatic species as it floats in the ocean.Gribbles,shipwormsandbacteriadecompose the wood and gradually turn it into nutrients that are reintroduced to thefood web.Sometimes, the partially decomposed wood washes ashore, where it also shelters birds, plants, and other species. Driftwood can become the foundation forsand dunes.
Most driftwood is the remains oftrees,in whole or part, that have been washed into theocean,due toflooding,high winds, or other natural occurrences, or as the result oflogging.There is also a subset of driftwood known as drift lumber. Drift lumber includes the remains of man-made wooden objects, such as buildings and their contents washed into the sea during storms, wooden objects discarded into the water from shore, droppeddunnageor lostcargofrom ships (jetsam), and the remains ofshipwreckedwooden ships and boats (flotsam). Erosion and wave action may make it difficult or impossible to determine the origin of a particular piece of driftwood.
Driftwood can be used as part of decorativefurnitureor otherartforms, and is a popular element in thescenery of fish tanks.
History[edit]
According toNorse mythology,the first humans,Ask and Embla,were formed out of two pieces of driftwood, anashand anelm,by the godOdinand his brothers,Vili and Vé.[1]The Vikings would cast wood into the sea before making landfall. The location of the wood would be an indication as to where to build theirmead halls.The wood used would found thehigh-seat pillarsof the new hall.[2]
Driftwood carried byArcticrivers was the main, or sometimes only, source of wood for someInuitand other Arctic populations living north of thetree lineuntil they came into regular contact withEuropeantraders. Traditional Inuit boats such as thekayakwere fashioned from driftwood frames covered in skins. The Inuit classified driftwood into seven different types, each possessing its own unique material and visual properties.[3]Driftwood could be used to make bows if it was straight grained and in reasonably good condition; these were reinforced with sinew cables. The Inuit even made arrows from driftwood;[4]these were often short and fitted with bone or antler foreshafts. Dry scrapings produced by working this material were collected, stored and used for the starting of fires year-round by Inuit. Wood that is burned today in these regions mainly consists of the remains of condemned wooden structures. Driftwood is still used as kindling by some. Woods with resinous qualities, such as cedar, are preferred for their lengthier burning times.[citation needed]
The "Old Man of the Lake"inCrater Lake,Oregonis a full-size tree that has been bobbing vertically in the lake for more than a century. Due to the cold water of the lake, the tree has been well preserved.[5]
Alice Gray, the legendary "Diana of the Dunes",who fought to preserve the Indiana Dunes[6]which contain quantities of driftwood named her college "Driftwood", and made all her furniture from driftwood.[7]
Uses[edit]
Firewood[edit]
The EPA includes driftwood in its list of "Items You Should Never Burn in Your [Wood-Burning] Appliance," because it will "release toxic chemicals when burned".[8]
The government ofBritish Columbiaalso advises against burning driftwood, asdioxinsmay be released from the reaction ofchlorideionswith other materials in the smoke.[9]
Sculptures[edit]
Driftwood sculptures are sculptures that are made of driftwood found on beaches or along riverbanks.
- AtKullaberg,Sweden,Lars VilkscreatedNimisa driftwood artwork in the year 1980. This sculpture and two others led to the declaration ofLadoniaas an independent nation.
- Sculptures were createdon theEmeryville, Californiamudflat and marsh area ofSan Francisco Bayin the late 1960s.
- TheAshden Awards for Sustainable Energy(sometimes called the "Green Oscars" ) are sculpted out of driftwood.
- ArtistDeborah Butterfieldis known for her sculptures of horses, initially rendered from driftwood before being cast in bronze.[10]
- In January the annual Driftwood and Sand festival is held inHokitika,New Zealand.[11]
Forts[edit]
Driftwood is commonly used to make a temporary shelter on beaches.
As a habitat[edit]
Large diameterSequoia sempervirenslogs spent enough time exposed to wave action to round their contours before being driven into the mouth of a narrow ravine by storm surf. Sequoia's high tannin content is resistant to decay, so these logs retain structural strength for decades. Storm flows withinShorttail Gulchare insufficient to move the logs back to sea. This unique habitat at the mouths of small estuaries of the California coast is threatened by the diminished quantity of large redwood logs available in flood waters since the logging of native forests.[citation needed]
Decline[edit]
With the advent of industrial logging practices, the global quantity of driftwood has declined. Early accounts indicate that driftwood was once more plentiful. Early photographs of thepacific coastreveal greater amounts of driftwood on the beaches than is present today.[12]Likewise, when traveling inDixon Entrancein the late 1800s,George A. Dorseyrecorded that many beaches were "piled high with drift, often to a height of sixty feet or more.[13]"Melting polar ice may also contribute to the decline of Siberian driftwood in the Atlantic as the sea ice enabled driftwood to travel greater distances without becoming waterlogged.[14]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"Ask".Godchecker.com.Retrieved2 October2020.
- ^"Pagan Religious Practices of the Viking Age".Hurstwic.Retrieved2 October2020.
- ^Walls, Matthew (2013)."Wood use and kayak construction: Material selection from the perspective of carpentry".Études/Inuit/Studies.36:49–62.doi:10.7202/1015953ar.S2CID30708560.
- ^Sheelandt, Stéphanie; Bhiry, Najat; Marguerie, Dominique; Desbiens, Caroline; Napartuk, Minnie; Desrossiers, Pierre M. (2013)."Inuit knowledge and use of wood resources on the west coast of Nunavik, Canada"(PDF).Études/Inuit/Studies.7(1): 147–174.Retrieved10 October2020.
- ^Salinas, J., "The Old Man of the Lake,"Nature Notes from Crater Lake National Park,Vol. XXVII (1996).
- ^Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2009). The Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation. The South Shore Journal, 3."South Shore Journal - the Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-01-01.Retrieved2015-11-22.
- ^Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2006). Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes. The South Shore Journal, 1. "South Shore Journal - Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-09-13.Retrieved2012-06-11.
- ^EPA, OAR, OAQPS, US (19 June 2015)."Burn Wise - US EPA".US EPA.Retrieved1 October2020.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^"Wood Burning Practices".Government of British Columbia.5 July 2023.Retrieved5 July2023.
- ^"Deborah Butterfield - artnet".www.artnet.com.Retrieved11 April2018.
- ^"Driftwood and Sand".Hokitika Driftwood and Sand.Retrieved3 October2020.
- ^Lepofsky D, Lyons N, Moss ML (2003)."The use of driftwood on the North Pacific Coast: an example from Southeast Alaska"(PDF).Journal of Ethnobiology.23(1): 125–141.
- ^Dorsey GA (1898). "A cruise among Haida and Tlingit villages about Dixon's Entrance".Popular Science Monthly.53(2): 160–174.
- ^Magazine, Hakai."Iceland's Sinking Driftwood Supply".Hakai Magazine.Retrieved17 October2022.
External links[edit]
Media related toDriftwoodat Wikimedia Commons
