Birch bark or birchbark is generally understood to be the bark of the Paper Birch tree (Betula papyrifera), or sometimes of related species such as Gray (Wire) Birch (Betula populifolia). Bark is the outermost layer of stems and roots of woody plants such as trees. ... Binomial name Betula papyrifera Marsh. ... Binomial name Betula populifolia Marsh. ...

The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which made it a valuable building, crafting, and writing material, since pre-historic times. Even today birch bark remains a popular material for various handcrafts and arts. The term prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is usually used to describe the period before written history became available. ...

Birch bark also contains substances of medicinal and chemical interest. Some of those products (such as betulin) also have fungicidal properties that help preserve bark artifacts, as well as food preserved in bark containers.

Collection and storage

Birch bark can be removed fairly easily from the trunk or branches, living or recently dead, by cutting a slit lengthwise through the bark and pulling or prying it away from the wood. The best time for collection is spring or early summer, as the bark is of better quality and most easily removed. Spring is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ... For other senses of this word, see summer (disambiguation). ...

Removing the outer (light) layer of bark from the trunk of a living tree may not kill it, but probably weakens it and makes it more prone to infections. Removal of the inner (dark) layer, the phloem, kills the tree by preventing the flow of sap to the roots. Infection is also the title of an episode of the television series Babylon 5, and the English title of the Japanese film Kansen. ... In vascular plants, phloem is the living tissue that carries organic nutrients, particularly sucrose, to all parts of the plant where needed. ... The abbreviation, acronym, or initialism SAP has several different meanings: SAP AG, a German software company, or its various products such as SAP R/3 or SAP Business Information Warehouse second audio program (television) Session Announcement Protocol Soritong audio player Simple As Possible Computer Architecture Structural Adjustment Program of the... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ...

To prevent it from rolling up during storage, the bark should be spread open and kept pressed flat.

Working

Birch bark can be cut with a sharp knife, and worked like cardboard. For sharp bending, the fold should be scored first with a blunt stylus. Exceptional Laguiole knife made with Crust of fossilized Mammoth Ivory Laguiole knives A knife is a sharp-edged hand tool used for cutting. ... Styli used in writing in the Fourteenth Century. ...

Fresh bark can be worked as is; bark that has dried up (before or after collection) should be softened by steaming, by soaking in warm water, or over a fire.

Uses

Birch bark was a valuable material in any part of the world where birch trees were available. Containers like wrappings, bags, baskets, boxes, or quivers were made by most societies well before pottery was invented. Other uses include: For other uses, see Bag (disambiguation). ... Four styles of household basket. ... An empty cardboard box Boxes are highly variable receptacles. ... A quiver is a container for arrows, crossbow bolts or darts, such as those fired from a bow, crossbow or blowgun. ... Unfired green ware pottery on a traditional drying rack at Conner Prairie living history museum. ...

• In Scandinavia, it was a valuable construction material when constructing roofs. For thousands of years it has been used for making shoes, see e.g. the Egtved Girl.
• In Russia Birch bark documents have been found from the Middle Ages.
• In North America the native population used birch bark for canoes, wigwams, torches, fans, musical instruments, clothing, and more.

Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... Womens shoes on display in a shop window, July 2005 A shoe is an item of footwear. ... The Egtved Girl is the well-preserved remains of a 16-20 year old Nordic Bronze Age girl found in Egtved (55°37′ N 9°18′ E), Denmark in 1921. ... A Birch bark document is a document written on pieces of birch bark. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Aluminum canoe, Upper Klamath Lake Canoeing on the Concord River. ... == The Band == Wigwam are Alex James, the bassist from Blur and Betty Boo. ... A burning torch, discarded on the road in the wake of the Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations. ... Non-electric fan Household Electric Fan A fan has two purposes – to move air for creature comfort or for ventilation and to move air or gas from one location to another for industrial purposes. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Men and women wearing suits, an example of one of the many modern forms of clothing (from the 1937 Chicago Woolen Mills catalog) Clothing is defined, in its broadest sense, as coverings for the torso and limbs as well as coverings for the hands (gloves), feet (socks, shoes, sandals, boots...

See also

• Wigwas (Ojibwa birch bark decorative designs)

The Ojibwa, Aanishanabe or Chippewa (also Ojibwe, Ojibway, Chippeway, Anishinaabe, or Anishinabek) are the largest group of Native Americans/First Nations north of Mexico, including Métis. ...

External links

• The Birch Bark Torch, a Wilderness Way Magazine's article by Kevin Finney.
• Birchbark articles from the NativeTech site.
• Birch and Birch Bark, an article by John Zasada at an University of Minnesota site.
• Birch Bark Canoe Building Courses at the North House Folk School, Minnesota.
• Birch Bark Canoe page on the site of the Algonquins of Pikwàganagàn.

Washington Avenue Bridge at night The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Saint Paul Minneapolis Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 12th 87,014 sq mi  225,365 km² 250 miles  400 km 400 miles  645 km 8. ... The Algonquins or Algonkins are an aboriginal North American people speaking Algonquin, an Algonquian language. ...

References

• The Algonquin Birchbark Canoe () by David Gidmark. [1]