Kiln
dried sawed lumber - $20.00 per board
foot (available beginning July 1, 2010)
Artisans
Herbie Project information
The
green wood will be sold/distributed to artisans
on February 20 and 27, 2010 from 10:00 A.M.
until 4:00 P.M. (snow date is March 6, 2010).
Please
Note: Due to the overwhelming response to
the Herbie Project, and requests for wood,
we are unable to guarantee wood to out of
state wood turners at this time. If we are
able to fulfill out of state requests at a
later date, we will contact those who have
made requests by April 15th, 2010.
CALL
TO ALL ARTISTS, ARTISANS AND CRAFTPERSONS
January
11, 2010
The
Herbie Project of Yarmouth, Maine is calling
for and soliciting proposals from all artists,
artisans, craftsperson's, sculptors and other
individuals or groups with creative talents
to produce artistic and crafts pieces of the
Town’s 240 year old Elm tree, Herbie,
located at East Main and Yankee Drive.
On January 18, 2010 the largest Elm tree in
New England will sadly be taken down from
its present location, having finally succumbed
to the fatal Dutch elm disease. For the last
forty years, primarily through the skillful
efforts of the town’s tree warden, Frank
Knight, this terrible disease was kept at
bay and Herbie was able to survive to this
date. Unfortunately, his age and current condition
is too debilitating to prevent the return
of this fatal disease. In an effort to foster
and preserve this wonderfully proud and historic
tree for future generations and to initiate
the Yarmouth Tree Trust, the Herbie Project
is making pieces, segments and anticipated
green and dried lumber from Herbie available
to artists and craftsperson's to construct
works of art and craft of the wood anticipated
to be available following his removal. These
works of art and craft shall be included in
a show or shows exhibiting the works and making
the products and works of art available for
purchase by the general public. The Herbie
Project is currently attempting to locate
appropriate venues for this art and craft
exhibition, with the intent to have at least
one such exhibition within the Town of Yarmouth
in the Fall, 2010. Any artist or craftsperson
that creates designs or constructs a project
or work from the elm of Herbie, will be shown
and exhibited in at least one such exhibition.
The Herbie Project is considering other potential
exhibitions with and through the auspices
of other Maine state craft and artistic associations
and groups.
Available material will include green limbs
of varying thickness and length, green lumber
or green tree segments for turning or other
sculpture projects. In addition, it is anticipated
that a portion of Herbie will be sawn to lumber
of varying lengths and thicknesses, some portion
of which will be kiln dried and available
as hardwood for furniture, craft and other
building projects.
Wood and timber will be made available to
all artists, artisans, craftsperson's, sculptors,
or others intent upon making or building an
individually designed and constructed project
and based upon the submission of proposals,
to be reviewed and chosen by the Herbie Project
Committee, currently in charge of this project.
Artists, artisans, craftsperson's, sculptors
or others interested in obtaining wood from
this famous Elm tree should prepare a proposal
on the attached form, indicating the scope
of the proposed project or artwork, the required
type of material being requested and the approximate
volume of material necessary to complete the
project. This submission form should be sent
to the Herbie Project, c/o Yarmouth Community
Services, 200 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME 04096
or faxed to (207) 846-2421 on or before January
30, 2010, to be considered for acceptance
in this phase of the Herbie Project. Interested
parties may find additional information by
accessing the Town of Yarmouth web site at
www.yarmouth.me.us, then click on “The
Herbie Project”. Telephone inquiries
and questions may be directed to Yarmouth
Community Services at (207) 846-2406.
At
present, The Herbie Project is considering
two methods of making material from this historic
tree available to artist, artisans and craftsperson's:
(1)
The first method of acquisition is by direct
purchase, following the tree’s harvesting
in January 2010. Purchase prices of wood,
green (with existing moisture content) and
kiln dried lumber will be developed and a
price list made available in late January,
2010. Individuals who make direct purchase
are encouraged to use the material they purchase
in a work of art or craft to be exhibited
and available for sale in the public exhibition
referenced above.
(2) A second method of acquisition of material
is by consignment agreement with the Herbie
Project. The project will provide the requested
material, to the extent available for an art
or craft project, to the artist or craftsman
without charge, but with the requirement of
consignment to the Herbie Project of a 40
percent of the sale price of the work of art
or craft. Consignment agreement to be executed
by the artist or craftsperson are available
to those interested in such method of acquisition,
and requires a 40% return of the retail sales
price of the work or project to the Herbie
Project. Those who upon completion of their
project decide not to make their work available
for sale, shall be responsible to the Herbie
Project for reimbursement of materials, based
on the quantity obtained and prices set by
the Herbie Project.
The
Herbie Project will provide notice of dates
when material becomes available on the Town
of Yarmouth web site www.yarmouth.me.us then
click on the “The Herbie Project”.
Those desiring to acquire materials shall
be required to pick up the material from the
designated location provided and on the dates
set for such pickups. Green wood will be available
first, followed by the kiln dried material
when released from the kiln. It is currently
anticipated that the materials will be stored
and located in New Gloucester, ME. Specific
dates and terms of availability will also
be located on the web site above, so check
periodically for further information.
Because
contamination from a diseased Elm tree can
be reintroduced into the environment and contaminate
their live Elm trees, the artist or craftsperson
shall be required to remove all bark from
those tree components in their proposed project
or work of art. All such bark needs to be
incinerated following its removal.
This is a singular and rare opportunity to
participate in the conservation of an historic
and valuable tree here in Maine and to assist
the Herbie Project in developing the Yarmouth
Tree Trust. Your participation and submissions
are greatly appreciated and will be given
the utmost consideration, in anticipation
of making the Herbie Project a truly “renewable”
event for one of New England’s most
significant and famous trees.
HERBIE
PROJECT ADVISORY
Elimination
of Bark from Project:
Because the bark of an elm tree is the area
most subject to the Dutch Elm Disease and
improper handling and/or disposal of the bark
could result in reintroduction of contaminated
material in the environment, it is important
to remove and eliminate all bark of the tree
remnants from portions of the tree limbs and
lumber you may receive. Incinerate all remains
of this bark to insure that other trees are
not contaminated with the disease. DO NOT
attempt to eliminate the disease by placing
portions of the tree materials in a microwave
oven. To do so could cause rapid heating of
moisture within the wood and cause the material
to explode causing potential damage to person(s)
or property. Simply use cutting tools or other
methods of bark removal which are safe.
Checking
or cracking of wood: Because moisture
remains in green wood, it is anticipated that
“cookies” or other objects made
of green Elm will crack, and at times significantly.
This is the natural process of the wood drying
and is not a defect. To reduce the potential
for cracking, keep the wood in an area of
the house which is most moist or has the most
humidity.
Herbie
(green) wood that is not kiln dried, will
need to be baked in order to kill any Dutch
Elm Disease fungus or bug. Heat in standard
oven for 30 minutes at 55°C (133°F).
This is the USDA/APHIS standard for killing
insects.
Click
here to download a Herbie Project Artist/Craftsperson
Consignment Agreement
Click
here to download a Herbie Project Submission
Form
You
must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to
view the forms.
Download a free copy by clicking
here >>>
Yarmouth
is home to New England’s largest American
Elm tree – affectionately known since
the 1950s as “Herbie” –
that reigns over the corner of Yankee Drive
and East Main Street. Like so many American
Elms, Herbie is finally succumbing to Dutch
Elm Disease, an introduced fungus that is
spread by bark beetles. After decades of diligent
effort by Yarmouth’s volunteer Tree
Wardens Frank Knight and Debbie Hopkins and
an estimated 240+ years of life, Herbie will
be removed in January 2010. Yarmouth has lost
nearly 800 American Elms to this disease in
the past fifty years, although none as grand
as Herbie. In honor of Herbie’s legacy,
the Town of Yarmouth seeks to replace this
majestic tree and others lost in previous
years with new, disease-resistant elms and
other types of trees. In order to do this,
Yarmouth is creating a Tree Trust.