|
Other
Botanical Reference: Betula Allegheniensis.
Betula Excelsa.
Range:
Southern Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Anticosti Island, the Gaspe peninsula, and Maine west
to south and southwest Ontario and Minnesota; south to New Jersey,
Ohio, northern Indiana and Illinois; and south in the mountains to
South Carolina, northeast Georgia, and eastern Tennessee.
Habitat:
Moist well-drained soils in rich woodlands on lower
slopes. It is also found in cool marshlands in the south of
its range.
Description:
A native, deciduous tree, Yellow Birch grows from 60 to 75
feet tall and up to 2 feet in diameter. It is one of the
hardiest of all the broad-leaved trees. An ancient species that
dates back to the Ice Age, it is found as far south as the
Carolinas, however it thrives in cold northern climates. The
lustrous, smooth, silvery-yellow bark on the limbs and young
trunks gives the tree its name. As the trunk grows larger,
the bark breaks and rolls back in thin paper curls. The
twigs have a faint wintergreen scent like that of the black birch,
with which this tree may be confused. However, the wintergreen
scent of black birch twigs is very strong. The tree produces a
light yellow sapwood, and a reddish-brown heartwood with
distinct darker-colored growth rings.
Wildlife:
Yellow birch is browsed by moose, white-tailed deer, and snowshoe
hares. The deer eat large amounts of seedlings in summer,
and prefer the green leaves and woody stems in fall. The
seeds are eaten by common redpoll, pine siskin, chickadees, and
other songbirds. Ruffed grouse feed on seeds, catkins, and
buds. Red squirrels cut and store mature strobili, eat yellow
birch seeds, and also feed on birch sap. The yellow-bellied
sapsucker uses yellow birch as a summer food source. Beaver and
porcupine chew the bark of yellow birch.
Use:
The inner bark is nourishing and can be
chewed. It can be tapped for sap which is used to make an
edible syrup. A tea is made from the twigs and/or inner bark that
is used to relieve indigestion and
stomach cramps.
A strong, finely grained wood,
Yellow Birch is popular for most woodworking projects such as
cabinet making, joinery, furniture and turning. About 75
percent of the lumber marketed under the name of birch comes from
the yellow birch. Yellow Birch wood is used for furniture,
radio, television, and stereo cabinets, kitchen cabinets, boxes,
crates, woodenware and novelties, and toys. Other uses include
butcher blocks, agricultural implements, musical and scientific
instruments and cases, toothpicks, and shoes pegs.
Historic
Reference:
"The inner bark is
scraped off, mixed with that of the Sugar Maple and the decoction
taken as a diuretic." 1885
Hoffman OJIBWA 199.
"The Flambeau and
Coudreau Ojibwe tap the Yellow Birch for sap to add to maple sap
for a pleasant beverage drink." 1932
H. Smith OJIBWE 397.
"The twigs are
aromatic...gathered...to extract fragrant oil which is used
as a seasoner for other less pleasant medicines...The Forest
Potawatomi recognize the strength of Yellow Birch and it is a
preferred material in its sapling stage for wigwam poles.
These poles are setup in a circle and then bent down at the tip to
meet and overlap in the center where they are tied together in the
form of a hemisphere which makes the framework for the wigwam or
medicine lodge. It also endures for a fair length of time
and when the family moves it is left in position for it is but a
matter of half a day to throw together another wigwam."
1933 H. Smith POTAWATOMI 44.
|
E-mail