Silver Birch and Downy Birch

Betula pendula and Betula pubescens

• Birch is easily identifiable, by its silvery bark that peels off horizontally.
• This gives it protection from heating too quickly in the winter sun, and rising the sap too early.
• Birch seeds are very small and travel long distances on the wind.
• They are a pioneer woodland species, growing fast and usually in high volumes. They, like the pioneers of old, take over new land, or in this case grassland and scrub, and create woodland habitats.
• Aigas Field Studies Centre in the Scottish Highlands has a really nice example of this where they regenerated a woodland from grazed scrub, and the first trees that moved in were predominantly birch.
• Silver Birch and Downy Birch hydrides and cross breed, so telling them apart can be difficult. However it’s not necessary for their bushcraft uses.
• The papery like laminated bark on the birch is full of oils, this is very useful for fire lighting. It will take a spark off a fire steel if it has been abraded or separated out to fine enough fibres. And it burns for a long time, allowing you plenty of time to catch the next grade of tinder. Only peel it off trees that are shedding it naturally, never cut it off with a knife.
• The slender twigs of a birch are also wrapped in a thin layer of the bark, and make a good nest of kindling to add to the burning bark.