thanks guys!
sailordad, I work exclusively in the hhb, becuase that's all we really have around here other than maple. I have used dry heat as well as steam heat to bend the wood. I always temper it.
The bark is mostly cambium. When you cut hhb in the early spring, the bark can be peeled in one piece from the log.
I actually dried, flattened and heat treated the bark.
The rough part of the bark, I actually filed off wich left me with wide flat strips that I laminated (with hide glue) onto the back and belly of the bow. The bark seems to add about 3pounds of pull for each layer.
Hope that helps!