? To clean bark on a shimpaku, looks simple enough...

[Drjd]

Seriously though @Cable we're not removing the cambium like a layer.
It does bother my ignorance though, when I see white wood exposed, and I get a feel
of what I did to get to that point. After 2 exposures, I at least learned my comfort zone
for my 1st time of doing this, and in Autumn at that. Just leave colour if you're not sure.
Do you have one that you're wanting to do this on now? I just wanted to remove the nasty flaky
bark that's gonna get trapped with wire if I left it, and ended up starting this thread to ask.
You're welcome to post any pics or video here and tag anybody you wish to reply.
Timing, is a good point...when is it best. Does it count as an insult?

EDIT
@Brian Van Fleet
View attachment 267582
Does the dark "live vein" wood have a thin skin in parts? Is it dark through to the heart?
I peeled some reddish brown that was at most 1or 2 mills thick. Felt odd finding white wood under the red...

I know I’m late in the game to reply but I’m so happy you asked this! This just happened to me and I was very worried I made an accidental Shari.

 

[leatherback]

Let me weigh in as I think there is a bit of confusion. A little simplified one could say:

The brow stuff is dead. So removing this, does not harm the tree. It is an added protection against UV, heat, fire etc. In our gardens conditions usually are not so extreme that it is needed.

The red is a separation/demarcation of the boundary between the living and dead bark; In a way, this is what turns brown next, and is on its way out.

Below this is the living bark, the white you see when you go too deep. This layer is roughly 1/10 of an inch thick. Its main function is to carry sap from the foliage into the rest of the tree, distributing the assimilates (sugars).

Below that layer it the cambium, the part of the trunk where cell-division (and thus growth) takes place.

Accidentally hitting white stuff is no problem. It is comparable to nicking your skin. It is annoying and can lead to tiny scars but will not kill you. And you will not accidentally pierce the whole layer. Only when you go through the bark and reach the layers below (like cutting an artery) do you really do damage. This requires intent. EVerybody who has tried layering junipers or created shari can confirm: It requires effort to go through the whole bark layer.