the.com/tree bark
A tree's skin, armor, and diary, all peeling at once.
means The tough protective outer covering of a tree's trunk, branches, and roots, made of dead and living layers that shield it from the world.
from 'Bark' traces back through Middle English to Old Norse 'bǫrkr,' part of a wider Germanic word family for the rind of a tree — notably distinct from the native Old English word for it, 'rind,' which bark eventually elbowed aside in common usage. The exact deeper root beyond Old Norse is uncertain, so resist any tidy story claiming more than that.
- dead on arrival
- outer bark cells are already dead when formed
- growth rings
- inner bark cells live and transport sugar briefly
- cork connection
- wine corks are literally harvested tree bark
- fire resistant
- thick bark lets redwoods survive repeated wildfires