THE WICKER INDUSTRY

The beginnings of wickerwork

The craft of wickerwork has a rather long history, one that reaches all the way back to ancient times. During that period, the production wicker baskets and other wicker products was something natural and present in a majority of households. Since wickerwork does not require a vast amount of material, anyone possessing manual skills and a bit of patience could create wicker baskets, wicker chairs, wicker cradles or other useful pieces of wicker furniture that were necessary in every household. Presently, willow is also used in many other ways; it serves as an alternative source of energy (biofuel), is used in the chemical industry to get cellulose and “bioalcohol”, as well as in the furniture-making industry, in weaving, and in ornamentation. Since only recently, it serves the purpose of protecting against pollution and noise along transportation routes. Wicker is also used for the recultivation of industrial and communal lands. Due to the small amount of energy needed for its cultivation, the ability to farm large plots of land, the use of machinery for sewing and harvesting, plentiful harvests and its safety for the environment, more and more people are becoming interested in wicker.