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.