Crack open a Birch beer and watch the birds cavort in your backyard Sweet Birch Tree! Sweet Birch is the traditional source of flavoring for Birch beer, and so this eastern native holds a special place in the hearts of many country folks, especially in Pennsylvania, where it grows most abundantly.
But Sweet Birch is a boon to birds, too! Chickadees, sparrows, redpolls, Pine Siskins, towhees, crossbills, and cardinals are some of the many birds that gather to dine on its buds, blooms, and seeds. Insect-eating birds delight in the wide assortment of caterpillars Sweet Birch hosts as well. A choice addition to your backyard bird sanctuary. You are currently viewing trees and plants for your hardiness zone Trees Birch Tree.
Loggers generally do not use the bark from their trees, and it is easier to remove large continuous sections of bark once the tree has been felled.
Generally, the State of Alaska regards harvesting birch bark as a subsistence activity and allows people to harvest bark from State Land please check with your local government before harvesting on public land. Each tree is unique. There is a great variety of color in birch bark. The larger diameter the tree is - the wider the piece of bark will be. The longer it has been since the tree has been harvested the thicker the bark will be the tree adds a thin layer of bark each year.
The more gnarled the tree is - the more heterogenous the bark will be. Make a cut down the tree trunk. To get the whole piece of bark the knife must cut down to the cambium. It is important that the cut be as vertical as possible.
If the cambium is cut all the way around the tree horizontally the tree will die this is called girdling a tree. Charlie Mayo, one of the teachers at Week in the Woods, contends that if you start high in the tree and make one short vertical cut, the tree can be unwrapped in one great downward spiral.
If it is the perfect tree at the perfect time of year the bark will pop off as soon as the vertical cut is made. Usually, to remove the bark the harvester needs to push their hands between the outer bark and the cambium. By gently working their hands around the tree the bark will pop off. Birch bark can be used as is directly off the tree.
Large fresh pieces are ideal for origami and paper engineering style projects. If bark is not going to be used immediately it should be rolled into a bundle. The bark should be rolled longways down the trunk of the tree to counteract the way it would naturally curl around the tree. If it is not wrapped in this direction it may be impossible to use later.
As the bark dries it will become less flexible and more brittle. Bark can be somewhat reinvigorated by exposing it to moisture and heat. John Manthei, camp director, recommends letting it relax in a hot sauna steam bath. A straight edge, ruler, and utility knife or scissors can be used to cut bark into strips. There also are commercial bark stripping machines that use a guide and pizza-cutter-like wheel to produce uniform strips.
Each piece of bark is composed of many thin layers one produced by the tree each year. Often bark is too thick and inflexible as it comes off the tree. Like starting a roll of tape, a fingernail can be pushed between the layers of bark at one of the corners. Working slowly and carefully, one may divide the entire piece of bark into two layers. I have also seen Charlie Mayo use a small wood plane to thin gnarly sections. I walk the state parks in Michigan and it is devastating to see trees with there bark cut off.
Please use trees that have fallen if you must use this bark. I find this discouraging to find "directions" on bark removal from birches. I live near Acadia National Park in Maine and the selfish and thoughtless removal of bark from birch trees by tourists looking for a souvenir is generally detrimental to the trees and leaves ugly, black scars which last the lifetime of the trees and mars the landscape for other visitors.
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