Oh! Elm and basswood are supposed to be the best! You are lucky to have them. And this is the right time of year. Right now while the sap is up! There are devices to help peel trees. Spuds loggers call them and they have metal tips but you can make one with a wood tip. It’s just like a small paddle with a long handle really to help you pry the bark off.
Here is what my book about the iroquois has to say on the subject:
“When a large piece of bark was to be removed from a tree an incision was made through the bark around the tree near the roots and a like incision was made about seven feet higher up the tree. These two horizontal incisions were then joined by a vertical cut. In order to reach the upper edge of a long strip of bark it was often necessary to build a crude scaffolding against the tree. Beginning at the edge of the vertical cut, the bark on each side was loosened from the wood by use of a tapering wedge that was gradually worked in all around until the large sheet of bark came off entirely. This thick bark could be divided into thin sheets by peeling it off layer by layer. If the bark was removed without injuring the sap layer the tree would continue to grow and a new layer of bark would be formed.”
It seems unbelievable that a new layer of bark would form, but I guess you never know until you try. I haven’t tried yet because both those trees are harder to find here. I’ll have venture down to the riverside sometime and look for them.