Silver birch

Silver birch, (Betula pendula)

Silver birch has to be my most favorite tree it has so many uses besides having the best looking bark!!
I will do the science bit first, then get on to the best bits.

With a wide distribution throughout Europe and Asia minor, Silver birch is recognizable by its distinctive bark. It grows to an average of 30 meters.

The best bits, birch bark is a really useful material one of my favorite uses for it is fire lighting, by peeling its naturally shedding bark as above in the picture (top left)and not peeling more than the tree is naturally giving shredding into thin strips or scraping the bark to a fine mass of fibers and dropping a spark from your ferro rod into it. The bark burns very hot because of the oil content content of the bark which preserves the bark after the tree has died off and the timber has rotted.

Another amazing use for birch bark harvested from dead trees only !!!! is to make containers or matchboxes i glued these containers and gave the matchbox away to a very good friend and fellow bushcrafter as a little quirky gift, the containers are used for collecting wild foods.and are simple and very decorative and make great little gifts to your friends.

When you want to collect birch bark please do not peel the bark any deeper that the tree is naturally giving up as this damages the tree and could cause it to die as a result.

See you out there

Paul

( i will not be showing the tapping of birch as i have come across to many permanently damaged trees by poor tapping techniques)