The Many Surprising and Practical Uses of Birch Trees
Birch trees are remarkable: they can keep you warm, nourish you and even heal you. They have a multitude of traditional uses, all of which remain practical in this modern age. You'll find birch in traditional Russian, Chinese and First Nations medicines, you'll find it in hardcore survival books and for many of us in North America you'll find these trees in your own back yard.
“The birch begins to crack its outer sheath of baby green and show the white beneath.” ~ Robert Frost
I am blessed to be surrounded with an abundance of white birch trees and that is the species that I'll be writing about today. We've drunk the sap, harvested Chaga, started fires, healed ailments and even made wine from the birch tree. Yes, you can make wine from birch trees: or the sap I should say. I would not describe it as my favourite wine but it is quite drinkable (if you are really quite desperate.)
The uses of the white birch are plentiful but as with all natural wonders I do beg that you harvest sustainably and take only what you need. When working with living trees you should be aware that by peeling off too much of the white bark will kill the tree. Also if you are pregnant you should use caution and consult an expert before consuming birch.
About The White Birch Tree
The scientific name is Betula papyrifera: Betula means 'pitch' and papyrifera means ’paper bearing’. The white birch is a medium sized tree. It is covered with a smooth white bark that easily peels away in large sheets. The backside of the bark is a pinkish brown. It is a deciduous tree and sheds its green leaves in the autumn. It is native to North America and grows in every region of Canada and most of the Northern United States.
The Many Uses of White Birch
There are many incredible uses for birch and this list is long, but not exhaustive. Most of the items listed are very easy to make other than birch bark products such as canoes, baskets etc. That takes an awful lot of skill and practice that is handed down from generation to generation.
Chaga
The Chaga mushroom (Inonotus obliquus) is a parasitic fungus most often found on white birch trees in cool climates. It is commonly found in the United States & Canada along with Russia, Korea and Northern Europe. The best way I can describe it is: a big lumpy burned "charcoal" looking mass growing on the trunk of the tree. Chaga is said to have: antioxidant, anti ageing & immunity boosting properties. To use chaga, soak the chunks in hot water for 90 minutes. You can dry and reuse the chaga several more times and you can store the chaga tea in your refrigerator for up to a week.
Birch Leaf Tea
You can collect birch leaves in early spring and use the leaves fresh or your can dry them and keep them for later. To make tea, steep five fresh leaves or a tablespoon of dried leaves in hot water and let steep for ten minutes.
Birch Leaf Oil
You can infuse the leaves of the birch tree in oil to create a massage oil for your skin. It is said to help soothe aching muscles, and help with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. You can find a good recipe here:
Birch Bark Essential Oil
If you have an essential oil distiller or if you are enterprising and up for the challenge of making your own steam distiller, you can extract the oil from the birch bark to gather the pure essential oils of the bark. Birch bark essential oil is often used as a bug repellent, astringent and antiseptic.
Birch Sap
You can tap a birch tree in the spring, just as you would a maple tree. The sap is pleasant and refreshing to drink. My Aunt over in England recently shared a photo of a bottle of birch sap water that she had just purchased. It turns out that it is a common drink in Europe, Russia and China. You can also turn the sap into wine or beer.
Birch Syrup
You can make syrup by boiling down the sap, much like you would with maple tree sap. In my experience it takes about 4 gallons of sap to make about 1/4 cup of syrup. That's a lot of time spent for a very low yield of product. It tastes amazing so it's worth trying just to experience the flavour. Mass production is probably not feasible: it takes a LOT to get a LITTLE. What a beautiful taste, though.
Birch Bark Products
In Canada, traditional First Nations skills include making canoes, bowls, baskets and other functional and beautiful items using birch bark. Also known as "the paper tree", the bark was used to create parchment in ancient times.
Birch Bark Fire Starter
The bark also makes a phenomenal fire starter, it will burn even when wet. We like it so much that every time I am in the woods I carry a pail with me so that I can collect the bits of bark that have peeled away from the tree as I wander around the forest. The bark contains oils and other properties that make it waterproof and just a few pieces of birch bark will get a fire going in a flash. This is a good one to know if you ever get caught alone, lost in the woods.
Firewood
White birch trees can be used as firewood but you should season it well before using. It is best used for camp fires or outdoor wood furnaces as it has a tendency to build up creosote. It also burns quickly which means you will need to feed your stove (and haul wood) more often. If you have choices, white birch is probably not the wood you want. There are species of birch renowned for being excellent fire wood including both the yellow and black birch.
Birch Pitch (Tar)
If you have heard about pine pitch before then you'll love this. Birch bark has heavy concentrations of oil and you can extract this oil to make tar. The tar can be refined to make fuel & adhesives or it can be used to treat certain skin ailments, waterproofing and wood treatments. Here is a great tutorialon how to make birch tar.
So, now that you know all about the handy birch tree, slip on some boots, get out there and have a look. You'll often find birch at forest edges reaching for the sun.
Follow me @walkerland
Photographs Copyright of @walkerland unless otherwise specified
If you liked this you might also enjoy:
The Homesteader's Food Rebellion
Feed Your Mind Body and Spirit With A Garden
Sources:
https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/fnb/Birch.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21031614
https://nootriment.com/inonotus-obliquus/
https://www.firewood-for-life.com/birch-firewood.html
I just love the way these trees look. They are so gorgeous. I had no idea there could have so many uses! I would love to try some of their syrup. Our family goes through quite a bit, since we love our pancakes and waffles!
They really are pretty trees. They really pop out amongst all the pine trees. It might be a fun family spring time project, tapping the tree is really easy if you have the patience to boil it down afterwards!
Thank you for such a good post. I am going to look up how to make things out of birch bark. Sounds like an interesting thing to know.
Very cool. I have heard of birch bark tea but none of the other uses. Great information
As always a very good article. You have a talent for writing and living. Didn't think about making tea. Glad to know it's only 5 leaves per cup. Probably won't be desperate enough for the wine. :) Keep up the wonderful work.
Thank you @warpedweaver your kind words warmed my heart!
I have to really work at writing, it does not come naturally. This post took me 4 hours to write and I have done most of the things I was writing about so it should have probably not taken so long. I edit, re-edit, edit again, remove my excessive use of exclamation marks and smiley faces and even then I still find mistakes after I have hit post.
I dry blackberry and raspberry leaves as well as rose hips, rose petals, mint and all kinds of herbs for medicinal teas as well. I find foraging and wild crafting so marvellous and magical - I am hooked.
warms my heart to see the younger generations keeping these practices alive.
I've always wanted to try the birch sap syrup. I was almost tempted to buy a small bottle of it one day when I came across it at a greenhouse but it was $25 yikes! Guess I'll have to make my own some day.
Considering it took me two days to boil it down to a cup full I am not surprised at that price! It is worth making just once to taste it. In comparison to maple syrup, birch is more complex in flavour and more savoury than sweet. We probably won't make it again just because it requites so much fuel to make it but I'm glad we gave it a try.
That sounds like a really cool experience even though it was a lot of work. We will have to try it. There are a lot of birch around here.
One other question. Concerning chaga. I actually buy some ground chaga and put it in my coffee. Is chaga common in all northern areas. Like I mentioned there is lots of birch around here but I don't recall ever coming across any. Maybe I just haven't been observant enough?
Really great post btw. What a versatile tree!
Chaga is something you have to hunt for. I don't always find it when looking. They do say that it is more common in the Northern parts of each province, and perhaps the cooler the location the better. It was easier to find in the Northwest Territories than it has been here in New Brunswick ...but also there are more birch trees in the NT so that makes sense.
Now you know what to look for I'm sure you will have a lucky discovery! Just be sure to read about proper harvesting so you don't hurt the tree!
Will do, thank you!
THIS IS GREAT! I love this idea- I can make some, tell hubby my shoulders and back are achy... oh yeah!
You are one clever woman, I like how you think! :)
I thought maybe this would be up your alley
New flavor?
@originalworks
I came across birches in a "real" way in Maine last summer. Living in San Diego you don't see them too often. I'd heard about them being a practical use tree, but had no clue the breadth of their use! Thanks for sharing @walkerland :)
~ Kevin
I go over to Maine once in a while, it is quite pretty. There's this Amish general store in Smyrna (just outside of Houlton) one of the best kept secrets ever. They don't have electricity in the store, its wood heated and only natural light. The pricing is unbeatable and the quality is excellent. If ever you are in that area check it out! I've never been to San Diego, I bet that is an interesting place to live!
I wrote it down on my list! If you ever come out to SD, you know who to call!
Yikes, I had no idea there were so many uses for birch. That Chaga is interesting. I just learned about it this week. Have you ever tried it?
yes, the chaga photo was of my own stash. It's quite drinkable. Earthy, a little sweet, no powerful flavours.
Very good post. I love birch trees, they are deeply ingrained in my psyche since my ancestors in Sweden, Ireland and England have also revered the trees for their medicinal, utilitarian, and spiritual uses for millenia. I am so happy to read this post today! I am going to plant a birch tree on our farm this spring! Re-steemed!