I like to use dead cedar I find close to home for my sticks.It's kind of a pain to peel away the outter bark and leave the thin layer near the white wood for color in my sticks.So yesterday I tried using a vegetable peeler,and it worked great.Only takes away what I want removed and leaves a nice smooth layer of colored inner bark to work with.Just thought I'd throw this out there for others with the same situations.Have a great day!!