A trunk of a birch, with part of bark cut outA Russianbirch bark letter from the 14th centuryBirchbark shoes
Birch bark orbirchbark is thebark of several Eurasian and North Americanbirch trees of the genusBetula.
For all practical purposes, birch bark's main layers are the outer dense layer, white on the outside, and the inner porous layer (cambium). For vast majority of crafts, the outer bark is used. In many languages it has a separate name. For example, in Russian "birch bark" is "beryozovaya kora", while the outer birch bark is "beryosta".
The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like outer bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, crafting, andwriting material, sincepre-historic times. Today, birch bark remains a popular type of wood for varioushandicrafts and arts.
Birch bark also contains substances of medicinal and chemical interest. Some of those products (such asbetulin) also havefungicidal properties that help preserve bark artifacts, as well as food preserved in bark containers.
Removing birch bark from live trees is harmful to tree health and should be avoided. Instead, it can be removed fairly easily from the trunk or branches of dead wood, 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.
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 toinfections. Removal of the inner (dark) layer, thephloem, kills the tree by preventing the flow ofsap to theroots.
A birch barklonghouse onWhitefish Island in CanadaFinnish fishing net weights made out of birch bark and stonesNorth American birchbarkcanoe
Birch bark was a valuable construction material in any part of the world where birch trees were available. Containers such as wrappings, bags,baskets,boxes, orquivers were made by most societies well beforepottery was invented[citation needed]. Other uses include:
In variousAsian countries (including Siberia) birch bark was used to make storage boxes, paper, tinder, canoes, roof coverings, tents, and waterproof covering forcomposite bows, such as theMongol bow, the Chinese bow,Korean bow,Turkish bows, Assyrian bow, thePerso-Parthian bow. It is still being used. More than one variety of birch is used.
In Scandinavia and Finland, it was used as the substratum ofsod roofs andbirch-bark roofs, for making boxes, casks and buckets, fishing implements, and shoes (as used by theEgtved Girl) similar tobast shoes.
In India, birch-bark, along withdried palm leaves, were the primary writing supports before the widespread advent of paper in the second millennium CE.[4] The oldest known Buddhist manuscripts (some of theGandharan Buddhist Texts), fromAfghanistan, were written on birch bark.[5]
Neanderthals used birch bark to make atar adhesive through the process of dry or destructive distillation.[6][7]
Outer birch bark also makes an outstandingtinder, as it does not soak up water.
Filsuvez is atopical medication with birch bark extract as itsactive ingredient.[8] It is used to treat two types ofepidermolysis bullosa, dystrophic and junctional, targeting partial-thickness skin wounds. Common side effects include wound complications, skin reactions, infections, itching, and allergic reactions.[8] Filsuvez was approved in the European Union in June 2022[8][9] and in the United States in December 2023.[10][11] It is considered afirst-in-class medication by the US Food and Drug Administration.[12]
^Hayes D (2002).Historical Atlas of Canada: Canada's History Illustrated with Original Maps. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. p. 152.
^Boszhardt RF (2003).Deep Cave Rock Art in the Upper Mississippi Valley. St. Paul: Prairie Smoke Press. pp. 54–55.ISBN0-9704482-3-6.
^Losty JP (1982).The art of the book in India. British Library. Reference Division. London: British Library.ISBN0904654788.OCLC8653520.
^Salomon R, Barnard M, Allchin FR (1999).Ancient Buddhist scrolls from Gandhāra: the British Library Kharoṣṭhī fragments. London: The British Library.ISBN0712346112.OCLC263439456.
^abc"Filsuvez EPAR".European Medicines Agency (EMA). 13 April 2022.Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved6 July 2022. Text was copied from this source which is copyright European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged.
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