How do I make cordage from tree bark?

Question

I'm trying to make rope from tree bark, but I couldn't succeed. Sometimes the cordage is too stiff, sometimes it is too fragile. I tried from a lot of trees available near me. I tried first with 2 very elastic trees that can be bent to make a bow:

• Cornus sanguinea¹
• Walnut

Then I tried with these:

• Willow
• Beech
• Ash
• Cherry
• Poplar

Either my technique was wrong, or a different tree is needed. I tried with fresh bark collected and I tried with bark that I soaked in water for 8 hours. I don't understand something: If I succeed in making something strong that resembles a rock, how do I prevent it from rotting or from drying and crumbling like spaghetti?

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¹ This doesn't seem to have an English name, because it is native to Eastern Europe (where I'm from) and Asia. It's something like blood dogwood, but it grows as a tree not a bush.

Answer 1

Ropes can be made from bark, but bark can't simply be used as rope.

Several woods are good, but willow species are widespread so is a popular choice. The fact that it grows many thin, straight stems quickly is probably good too as apparently thin stems are a good source (further reading on traditional species and methods from North America).

This article goes into detail on making cordage from willow bark, but the key steps include:

• removal of the "weak useless" outer layer
• boiling in a mixture of wood ash and water (i.e. an alkaline mix)
• splitting from thick straps to thin strands (it's not clear to me whether the thick pieces could be used for some tasks)
• making the actual cord, which really needs its own description. At this step, new fibres can be fed in so that the result is longer than the pieces you started with.