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Lovely photos and instructions here in Swedish of how to build a "vedtak" (maybe ‘logroof’ in English?) using only sustainably harvested birch bark and young hand-split pine logs (a virtually free byproduct from local forestry). No metal parts. In Åland. kulturarv.ax/2013/07/loftbo…
A logroof made of good pine will last 10-15 years without maintenance, and from then on indefinitely as damaged or rotten logs are easily exchanged for new ones. The birch layer can be left until it starts leaking which might happen about a century after it has been laid down. 
Birch bark should never be combined with modern materials! It likes to be slightly moist (if completely dry it can crack). In exposed situations like on a roof it will easily outlast a sheet of corrugated iron. And unlike corrugated iron it is usually free.
This thread has more on how to harvest birch bark and how to use it in the construction of sod roofs. There also dozens of videos on Youtube about how cut birch bark without hurting the tree.
