Making and charring a charcoal pile

Making and charring a charcoal pile

The charcoal clamp is a way of producing charcoal by arranging wood covered in spruce branches and "stöbbe" and is lit and chars in controlled circumstances. It's constructed by heating the wood with very little oxygen supply which makes the wood turn to charcoal instead of going up in flames and turning to ashes. The charcoal pile that is built annually at the event "Gammelvala", Brunskog, Värmland, takes about two days to build (with 12 people) and measures 4 1/2 m ∅. Depending on the wood used you can produce charcoal for grill, smithing and/or tar. The pile chars for approx. six days and up to 90% of the wood gets turned into charcoal. At least two people guard it during, at all times.

varmlandmap

iain

Swedish

Intangible

592

Kolmilning

02/09/2025

https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/4379/1/Fjellstrom_J_2001.pdf https://www.platabergensgeopark.se/portfolio/kolarna-i-erdalen/ https://www.platabergensgeopark.se/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Kolmilans-konstruktion10.png

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https://culturality.museum/wiki/index.php/Making_and_charring_a_charcoal_pile

1262

A tradition and ritual is to not talk about fire or burning, to both be clear in communication that this is not about burning but charring, but different practitioners might also find that it's bad luck. It's also customary to give a name to the pile, which the volonteers choose the second day (when they have "gotten to know who the charcoal pile is"). Additionally, many outside of the practice associate the stories of charring coal with the poet Dan Andersson (from neighbouring region of Dalarna), which has written poems about the practice.

Kajsa Stinnerbom, Sara Olsson

Our informant who’s been doing this the longest in the volunteer group (15 years) that are responsible for the charring tells that it's nearly impossible to learn by reading and must be learnt by doing. It's a tacit knowledge that's required and a very sensuous type of understanding They have made a standardizations e.g. with the measurements of the wood but each year they learn something new, as they are only building one each year. How to tend to the pile with the hit of a sledgehammer and skewers, as well as understanding the different type of smoke that rises are crucial.

A volunteer group of about twelve people are meeting each year to construct the pile and tend to it. They meet at weekends in late spring to construct it. The volunteers are all doing this out of their own interest and are mostly local inhabitants. Our informant who is in charge has learnt from the previous leader, and the pile has been made annually at "Gammelvala" for 60 years. Since the pile is made for the event, it's made doing summer, but traditionally they charred during the winter.

About twelve people meet each year, mostly local people. Out of the twelve practitioners, three are under 30 years, three between 30-40, and he rest are older. All of the volunteers are male, but they have had women included in the work as well. They are welcoming to women joining the group.

Up until the 1940's charcoal was still being produced this way in Värmland, also to support the fuel for wood gas fuelled cars during the war. Depending on what type of wood being charred, different coal is produced. Today the wood used is birch, which makes for great grill coal, and is being sold as exclusive local coal, which is a pride for the folk museum where "Gammelvala" is held. Each year, when the event "Gammelvala" starts, an inaugurator is chosen to light the pile as an honour, alternating each year between a man and a woman. A few years back it was the governor of Värmland, and this year it will be a popular comedian lightning the pile. As very few charcoal piles are made in Värmland these days, this is an event which the organization Brunskogs hembygdsgård are proud of and many visitors come to witness it.

This type of coal productions have used throughout the ages and in various forms and sizes. The charcoal production of Western Värmland (this region) has also been studied by the local ethnologist Nils Keyland (1867-1924). From being a practice that was primarily done for the iron productions at a larger scale during the 18th century, for the wood coal to extract the iron from the ore, to being a way to produce fuel during the war, the charcoal is now not used in iron production or blacksmithing, but sold as a luxurious product as BBQ coal.

Brunskogs hembygdsgård, which can be translated into Brunskog's "heritage farm" or "old farmstead", or collection of older buildings, run and managed by the local heritage association. Charcoal piles have been constructed at many local "heritage farms" throughout Sweden from the last part of 20th century.. There does not seem to exist a joint organisation in Sweden that safeguards or functions as a knowledge hub for this practice.

See organisations. It's also constructed at schools such as Sätergläntan, a school for crafts in neighbouring region Dalarna.

Industrial production

Today it's only practicied for preserving.

Aged practitioners,Diminishing participation,Diminishing youth interest,Halted transmission between generations,Reduced practice

As there are only volunteer practitioners, gathering for making one pile a year, there's a reduced practice.

Lack of conservation policy

There's a lack for these types of practices.

Loss of knowledge,Loss of cultural significance

As fewer are practicing, there's a lack of knowledge. Fewer have their own relation to the practice, as the war years are further away where this was still a stronger practice, which weakens the cultural significance.

Brunskog, Arvika and the west parts of Värmland is a region where art and handicrafts have a long and strong tradition and that’s still largely present today. At the turn of the century 1900’s, many Swedish artists came to the area and an artists' colony, Rackstadkolonin, was established. The new ideas and expressions these artists brought with them along with the well-established and skilled craftsmanship that already existed here have contributed to the well-known arts and crafts area Arvika is today. The arts and crafts are greatly appreciated here by both practitioners, residents and visitors and are seen as a great asset and strong brand for the area. Arvika is a town of about 14.000, and the municipality has about 25.000 habitants. Brunskog's parish has about 2.000 inhabitants.

To make the process easier and more manageable they are using power tools to prepare the materials, such as cutting the wood. Otherwise the tools mainly used during the process are sledgehammer, iron bar and shovel. They also put on a chimney for the last part of the charring, which is also traditional but a later practice. During the event the volonteers are dressing in clothes that resemble that of a late 1800's and early 1900's cut, fabric and with the "slokhatt", a slouch hat which is a floppy felt hat usually worn by workers during that era in Sweden.

Yes, it's social sustrainability in the practice for the participants and the community.

It could be argued that it's actually, albeit small, a threat to the environment to practice this type of charring coal. Even though no LCA have been carried out, the more moderns ways of charring coal could be much more environmentally sustainable.

There's no economic sustainability, even though they sell the charred coal as a exclusive product.

Good Health and Wellbeing,Sustainable Cities and Communities

Brunskog, Värmland, Sweden

endangered

RV_CP_08