How NOT To Gather Birch Bark

[Adam Savage]

Looking around on the net today, and came across this... (http://trondekheritage.com/our-places/trochek/the-land/cultural-resources/)

http://trondekheritage.com/images/uploads/IMGP0926.jpg

Even people that are trying to do the right thing, seem to fall down.

[Tony1948]

That dusant do harm to a birch tree as long as you dont go down to the white core CS.

[happybonzo]

Surely that's how the First Nations used to get their material for canoes?

[Adam Savage]

I have always been taught, that if you "ring" the tree of it's bark, it can kill it. I know that taking any bark from a tree, could leave it open to infection.

[Bushwhacker]

Adam's right. These days we have no need to take bark from a live tree there's plenty of dead stuff if you do.
For fire lighting the tree will give up willlingly (shed) what you need. There's always fine pieces that peel off with no effort for fire lighting purposes.

[MikeWilkinson]

I hate to say it, but in the states and Canada where the paper birch is abundant, that is actually the correct method of removing the bark from the live tree. As long as you don't go down to the next layer (the cambium layer), The tree is relatively unharmed, the Bark regrows - a bit darker and rougher and more leather like. In the Uk the Bark layer is relatively thin and we are more likley to do damage to the cambium layer and therefore damage the tree, so over here it is considered a bit of a no-no, unless you know of a very good paper birch. You also need to remember that a lot of the birch in the uk is silver birch - Betula Pendua and is not the same as paper birch - Betula Papyrifera - which is also called Canoe Birch or American White Birch.

The Birch in the Photos is real Paper Birch.

[Bushwhacker]

I don't know what they get up to in N.America, I'm talking from a SW.England point of view.

[MikeWilkinson]

Thats Why I said that here in the uk it is a no-no. The Photo however is taken in N.America up near the Klondike and Yukon rivers, I was just refering to it in context.

You wouldn't dream of doing that to a silver Birch as A) you would damge the tree and B) you probably couldn't find a nice smooth piece that size anyway. :p

[Tony1948]

Now,Now guys carm down:o

[jbrown14]

I know it's a paper birch, and they are very prevalent here in the northeast US, but I teach any newbies that I take on hikes with me NOT to ring the tree when harvesting birch bark for firelighting material. If there are curls of bark hanging off, I pull them off away from the direction they would peel off, essentially ripping them off at the base, like a hangnail. One of the young men I taught back when I was a scoutmaster still kids me about being a "nature boy" for teaching them not to harm trees.

Yes, I know the bark grows back, but the tree is more susceptible to infection while that tougher, darker (and less photogenic :D) layer is growing back, so I just don't do it.

The natives who harvested bark for canoes and shelters felled an entire tree and stripped the bark down past the cambium layer. Definitely not comparable to what that young lady has accomplished.

All the best!

Josh

[JonnyP]

I have seen birch in this Country ringed like that pic, by Scouts on their land. It had been done quite a few years ago, but you could easily see where it had been ringed.. It looked a very healthy tree still though.

[Adam Savage]

Interesting points of view from all of us. Steve (Marvel) has noted in the past, "if you need to take a knife to the tree, then you're causing unnecessary damage" and that he has "seen many birch dying, from this kind of activity". I agree, it is down to the area in which the trees grow, the specific species of the tree. I also agree, that the natives would have more cause to do this, and also (in most cases) fell the entire tree, as almost all of it would have been used for something and not wasted.

I apologise if my thread is inaccurate, or misinformed. I certainly didn't want to cause any upset among our great community of members.

Different strokes for different folks I guess, but it is not the way I would go about gathering bark, especially (as Bushwhacker points out) that there are more than enough fallen/dying/dead birch to harvest.

It's your call at the end of the day though.

Adam