As the straw catches fire and the flames begin to grow, Timo Rouhiainen takes a couple of steps back. The edges have just been lit on a traditional ‘dale’ (burning ground) that will keep burning for the next two weeks, and the temperature is starting to rise quickly. Villagers from Säkylä in South West Finland will now take turns to keep the stack burning in what is the ancient art of tar making.

Simply put, the roots, branches and twigs from pine trees are formed into a stack, where turf is put onto the top and straw is built up around the outside. The straw is set alight and kept burning for up to a fortnight to provide a controlled heat. It is enough to bring out the liquid in the roots, but not too much that the straw is completely consumed. The viscous black liquid runs out of the wood through a pipe underground which then drips into a bucket, leaving behind charcoal that can then be utilized as anything from fuel to gunpowder to crayons.

All tars aren’t created equal, with the quality of the tar determined by a number of factors, including the species of wood, the part of the tree used, and the type of ‘oven’ used. The stumps of pine trees are known to produce the best tar as they contain the components that protect the living tree, but stumps are often inaccessible or expensive.

Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden and Denmark - has been the primary producer and exporter of tar for most of the industry’s history that dates back over 600 years. Initially used as a wood preservative by mariners for rigging and wood, small landowners could use a commodity to trade for food and other staple items. Since then it has had vast and various uses that include making the first sealed ‘tarmac’ roads, healing psoriasis, flavoring candies, embalming Egyptian mummies, waterproofing sails and sealing ship hulls. It has also been used as an ingredient in cosmetics, shampoos, paints, disinfectants, stains and more.

After the Russian invasion of Sweden-Finland in the 17 th Century, Britain was forced to find an alternate source of tar and found one in the new British colonies of the United States. Trees were widespread, and by 1725 America were supplying four-fifths of Britain’s tar and pitch. As the population continued to grow and forests were cleared, tar production was dominated by the southern states - in particular North and South Carolina. By the turn of the 20 th Century, production had spread south and west into Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Technology to produce tar as a by-product, and the declining need for its maritime uses have since diminished the industry.

Today, tar is still used to seal church roofs and traditional wooden boats. Tar made from Timo’s village has also been used as a furniture varnish to preserve the wood from rotting or insects. Due to the work involved, the advances in technology that offer alternatives and easier methods, and the increasing value placed on our forests, fewer villages are still making tar the old-fashioned way.