Meanings
- uncountablechiefly OregonShredded, ground, or chipped wood used for landscaping, gardening, or composting.
Forest Floor Bark Dust / Freshly Ground / Perfect For Yard Gardening / Controls Weeds • [unclear] soil / Adds [unclear] • Keeps Soil Moist
1969, W. B. Bollen, [packaging of a bag of commercial bark dust], quoted in Properties of Tree Barks in Relation to Their Agricultural Utilization, Portland: U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S.D.A. Forest Service Research Paper PNW-77, page 62 more examples
Have you ever walked through bark dust barefoot? After gingerly stepping through you pause quickly to inspect the sole of your feet and brush away the visible splinters, then continue on your way.
1988, Wendy Ann Wood, Vicki P., “Slivers”, in Julie Livingston, editor, Triumph Over Darkness: Understanding and Healing the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse, 2nd edition, Hillsboro: Beyond Words Publishing, published 1993, →ISBN, page 35In the vegetable garden, groomed manicured paths all nicely mulched with bark dust in between garden beds mean that you must collect all the weeds as you pull them […]
2010, Carol Deppe, The Resilient Garderdener, White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publishing, →ISBN, page 114
Origin
The timber industry was prominent in Oregon and surrounding areas from roughly 1870–2000, which is apparently connected to the term's regionality.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bark dust. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bark%20dust
“bark dust.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bark%20dust. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bark dust,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bark%20dust.
Source: bark dust on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.