Now is a good time to go out and flag the following five trees before the leaves drop (except the pine).  Revisit them in the winter and learn how to ID them by the bark alone.  Then again in the Spring with the buds and new leaves.

White birch (paper birch)

White birch is easy to identify with its distinctive, white, papery bark. The sycamore tree also has white bark, but it does not sluff off in thin, paper-like furls like the white birch. The sycamore also has large hand-shaped leaves versus the white birch’s smaller, oval-shaped leaves with a pointed tip. The birch leaf is also irregularly toothed.  These grow almost exclusively in northern climates.

White birch survival uses:

• Sweet drinkable sap that does not need purification
• Containers can be fashioned from the bark (and even canoes – hence the name “canoe birch”)
• It’s papery bark makes some of the finest fire starting tender on the planet, which will light even when damp because of its resinous quality
• A fine tea can be made from the small twigs at the end of a branch or by shaving the bark from new growth. Toss a palmful of these elements into boiling water for a fresh, wintergreen-flavored tea
• The tinder fungus (chaga) grows almost exclusively on the white birch tree. The fungus is one of the only natural materials I know of that will take the spark from flint and steel. A piece of tinder fungus along with flint and pyrite to create sparks were even found on Otzi, the “iceman” who was uncovered in the Austrian Alps several years ago.
• Pine tar can be extracted from the bark of the white birch by heating it over a fire.  Pine tar makes an excellent natural adhesive which natives used for all kinds of purposes including securing stone points on arrows.

American Basswood

The American basswood (also called American linden) is a very common tree – especially in the Eastern U.S. It prefers moist soil and is often found by creeks, streams and ponds. It likes to grow several shoots from the base so it’s not uncommon to see the basswood growing in what appears to be clumps. Basswood trees have large, heart-shaped, coarsely toothed leaves and dark red young leaf buds. One of the most distinctive features of the basswood is what I call the “tongue.” A tongue-shaped leaf grows at the base of the regular heart-shaped leaves on mature trees. Hard, little, nut-like fruits dangle from the center of this “tongue” leaf throughout the summer.

Basswood survival uses:

• Delicious edible leaves – especially in spring
• “Bass” comes from the word “bast,” which is an old word for rope. The inner fibers from the Basswood make some of the best natural cordage on the planet.  In my last course, 2 adult men could not break a 1/2″ thick strip of basswood bark.
• Basswood is my favorite wood to use in fire by friction sets. It is soft and makes a perfect friction fire wood for bow drill spindles and hearthboards and for hand drill hearthboards.
• Basswood is preferred by most wood carvers and chainsaw carvers because of how easy it is to work and carve
• Inner bark layer is edible and can be scraped off with the edge of your knife. It has a very sweet flavor.

White Pine

The leaves of the White Pine grow in batches of 5 needles. Every fall the white pine loses all of its needles except those that grew that year. Pine is an evergreen. Evergreen trees keep some green leaves year-round, unlike deciduous trees, and have needle-like leaves. They also produce cones (pine cones) instead of flowers.

White pine survival uses:

• Resin can be used a fire extender when mixed with tinder material
• Resin can be heated and mixed with crushed charcoal to make a natural epoxy
• Resin-rich joints and stump pieces make incredible fire kindling
• Make pine-needle tea from the green pine needles – very rich in Vitamin C
• Inner bark layers are edible
• Harvest pine nuts from the pine cones
• Pine needles make excellent fire tinder
• Pine needles make excellent natural insulation material for debris huts and survival shelters
• Green pine boughs are perfect for lean-to shelter roofs
• Green pine boughs are great for making a ‘pine bough bed’ to protect from the cold ground or snow
• The lower, dry, dead branches of the pine tree (squaw wood) is often some of the driest fire kindling available. It is exposed to the wind and also protected from the elements by the year-round needle canopy above,  I’ve also used these branches for making bow drill fire friction sets.
• Very effective candles and lamps can be made from pine resin
• Pine resin can be used to waterproof seams in clothing or crude containers
• The very pliable surface layer roots make excellent (and strong) natural cordage. Use as a whole or split into smaller pieces.
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