White Birch

Paper Birch, White Birch, Canoe Birch

Betula papyrifera

Wiigwaasaatig; wiigwaas; wiigwaasi-mitig; wiigwaasimizh; Nimishoomis-wiigwaas; waskwiyi (Cree)

This medium-sized tree (40 to 70 ft tall) has easily peeled, white bark that separates into thin layers, revealing a bright orange inner surface. Flowers consist of catkins, emerging in April to May, before or along with the leaves. White birch can survive in diverse habitats, but often comes in after a fire or other disturbance, along with poplars. (Plants usedby the Great Lakes Ojibwa)

Second most sacred tree to Anishnnaabeg, which is prevalent along with cedar in Great Lakes region. Sacred as it comes from the air, a gift from the Thunderbirds. (Plants have so much

The bark of this tree is used for a variety of things including baskets and canoes. In traditional medicine, an infusion of the inner bark was used as an enema, a decoction of the bark was used to treat blood diseases, and a compound decoction of the root bark was used as a gastrointestinal aid. (Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)

Used to maker birch bark vessels, makakoon, for harvesting, cooking, storing food, can be washed, dried and re-used. Best harvested in late spring when sap is rising. Bark harvesting should not be cut too deep and do not girdle the tree, so the tree can heal itself, even though it will never regrow bark on the site of harvesting. Easiest to work with the bark soon after removal, as resins harden soon after removal. Heating over a fire or ironing can make the resins pliable again, not water soaking. Making a vessel with pliable bark involves lacing up the sides, with spit black spruce or balsam fir roots, using an awl to punch holes in the birch then lacing with the roots. Can be made airtight. Waterproofing is done with melted sap of fir, spruce or pine - not to be sued over fire. For a birch bark vessel to be used over fire, bend the bark with the orange inside bark on the outside of the vessel. Cone-shaped birch makakoon used in medicine. A cone over the nose, coal at the cone end, herbs on the coal, user inhales. Large birch cone used in hunting as horn to make sound to attract moose. Birch bark is waterproof so used as roof covering for dome-shaped wigwams, mats made of stitched together pieces of birchbark, light weight, portable. Birch bark is a good firestarter, given the resins, also makes good torches for night fishing. Inner birch bark is edible, especially sweet if taken from a large tree. Can be eaten raw or dried, pounded and used as flour. Birch sap is less sweet than maple but it flows more. Rotted birch wood can make a fire to tan moose and deer hides, to cure meat and dry fish. Fresh twig tips are used to treat stomach disorders and relieve cramps. Any part of the birch is a stimulant and diuretic. Tea of leaves or bark can kill worms. Strong decoction of leaves twigs and bark as a skin wash treats eczema. Shaga, a funcgus of medicinal value, grows on the birch. (Plants have so much

Small sapling stems are used in combinations for blood purification, fever and conditions of the mind. The white rotten wood is boiled by Cree with Labrador Tea. This extract as dried and powdered and used as a dusting powder on chapped skin, Dry powdered rotted wood used as baby powder. For gonorrhea, the buds are used, whereas for lung trouble, bark infusions are combined with Hemlock or Spruce. The Cree of northern Manitoba collect birch bark from the east side of the tree and boil it with another plant for women who cannot conceive. The Cree of Alberta used the tree bark traditionally for baskets, canoes, bowls and moose callers. The fall wood is used for making snowshoes good for dry snow. When the snow is wet, these snowshoes absorb too much moisture and become too heavy. Small-diameter trees with bark left on are ideal for woodworking files and other handles, as they do not split. Birch wood is also sued to make toboggans, drum frames, canoe paddles and hide stretching racks. Moose calls from rolled birch have been found in Mesolithic North American caves. Birch bark can be tightly wrapped and tied with Dogbane twine as a wilderness torch. It burns intensely and bright but tends to drop ash. The birch juice, derived from fresh birch leaves, is an efficient blood cleanser, with a stimulating effect on the kidneys. It offers relief in the treatment of rheumatic and other swollen, inflamed conditions. The wet internal side of the fresh bitch bark gives quick external relief to rheumatic pain. When decocted, the fresh birch bark turns a beautiful rose colour. The water is strained and used as a fomentation for skin rash, dermatitis and cradle cap, and on the elderly with paper-thin skin. Internally, when cooled, the inner-bark decoction will help resolve boils. Taken cold, before bedtime, it will help relieve night sweats. (A Cree Healer

Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa, Meeker, Elias and Heim, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Odanah, WI, 1993

(Plants have so much

(A Cree Healer