ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a starting point for the kinds of resource exploitation that is possible. It has shown both the breadth and depth of possibilities drawing on examples from different environments. Trees lay down new wood each year. This is the basis of the dating technique known as dendrochronology. The process works by an active layer of cells between the bark and the wood known as the cambium. A combination of size of plant and part used was used to group materials together. The other organizing principle was the kind of technologies associated with different plants. The material properties and characteristics of the different elements of a tree thus show an extensive range and need to be understood according to the technologies available to ancient societies. Birch bark containers have such stitching. The way people exploit their environment for plant resources for food and crafts is an intimate connection with places in the landscape.
