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It's the most recognisable member of the birch family..... The silvery white bark peels off like paper and makes good tinder.
The sap can be used to make the traditional Birch Beer. Though I'm sure it's present in Canada, it's a European tree.
the upside to silver birch beer is that silver birch is a source of one of the core compounds in either asprin/ paracetamol.... solving the headache as you earn it!!!
tapped (or lopped) at the wrogn time of year a birch can also bleed to death... they have an exceptionally vigorous rising of the sap in spring... which can be fatal for them if someone 'opens a vein'!
adore maple syrup but was utterly unaware of the grades... oh dear I sense another mild personal obsession building
Never tapped, I have tasted the sap though and birch beer.... Which I love, but it's an acquired taste. There's an art to tapping I believe and you have to pick the trees at the right time and temperature.
Have you done this? I really fancy trying now. Silver birch are my face tree, when you see a stand of whispy birch it's quite a sight to see. I love the contrast and the dappled shade they throw. Makes me want to sit under one all day rather than build a patio today! Having said that I also love my work so... Don't worry I'm not one of these annoyingly positive guys, I'm quite capable of bitching and moaning.
Never tapped, I have tasted the sap though and birch beer.... Which I love, but it's an acquired taste. There's an art to tapping I believe and you have to pick the trees at the right time and temperature.
Unfortunately for for birch it needs to be concentrated to 1% unlike Maple/Sycamores 5%
I believe most fruit and nut trees are tapable too but again are around 1% concentration.
Hickory and Alder are other tapable trees.
Obviously confers of all kinds can be tapped, but that would be for resin rather than syrup.
Have you done this? I really fancy trying now. Silver birch are my face tree, when you see a stand of whispy birch it's quite a sight to see. I love the contrast and the dappled shade they throw. Makes me want to sit under one all day rather than build a patio today! Having said that I also love my work so... Don't worry I'm not one of these annoyingly positive guys, I'm quite capable of bitching and moaning.
According to google, Canada's native birch is Black Birch
very fair... (note a silver birch is found every ten houses in my neighbourhood. i like looking at them)
Canada's not known for its grasp on Botany. shown very well when we changed paper money to plastic money. the designers ended up using the image of a maple leaf that wasn't native to Canada. rather, it was an invasive species from Russia or something. but we've already funneled millions into the design...
good times.
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