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Birch bark or birchbark is the
bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, e ...
of several Eurasian and North American
birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' cont ...
trees of the genus ''Betula''. The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, crafting, and writing material, since pre-historic times. Today, birch bark remains a popular type of wood for various handicrafts and arts. Birch bark also contains substances of medicinal and chemical interest. Some of those products (such as
betulin Betulin is an abundant, naturally occurring triterpene. It is commonly isolated from the bark of birch trees. It forms up to 30% of the dry weight of silver birch bark. It is also found in birch sap. ''Inonotus obliquus'' and red alder also conta ...
) also have fungicidal properties that help preserve bark artifacts, as well as food preserved in bark containers.


Collection and storage

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 to
infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...
s. Removal of the inner (dark) layer, the phloem, kills the tree by preventing the flow of sap to the roots. 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 A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evid ...
, and worked like cardboard. For sharp bending, the fold should be scored (scratched) first with a blunt stylus. 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 construction material in any part of the world where birch trees were available. Containers such as wrappings, bags,
baskets A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...
, boxes, or quivers were made by most societies well before
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...
was invented. Other uses include: *In various
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
n countries (including Siberia) birch bark was used to make storage boxes, paper, tinder, canoes, roof coverings, tents, and waterproof covering for composite bows, such as the Mongol bow, the Chinese bow, Korean bow, Turkish bows, Assyrian bow, the Perso-Parthian bow. It is still being used. More than one variety of birch is used. *In
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, the native population used birch bark for canoes, wigwams, scrolls, ritual art (
birch bark biting Birchbark biting (Ojibwe: Mazinibaganjigan, plural: mazinibaganjiganan) is an Indigenous artform made by Anishinaabeg, including Ojibwe people,Indigenous Perspectives of North America: A Collection of Studies'. Cambridge Scholars Publishing; 20 Aug ...
), maps (including the oldest maps of North America), torches, fans, musical instruments,
clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natura ...
, and more. *In Scandinavia and Finland, it was used as the substratum of sod roofs and birch-bark roofs, for making boxes, casks and buckets, fishing implements, and shoes (as used by the Egtved Girl) similar to bast shoes. *In Russia, many
birch bark manuscript Birch bark manuscripts are documents written on pieces of the inner layer of birch bark, which was commonly used for writing before the advent of mass production of paper. Evidence of birch bark for writing goes back many centuries and in variou ...
s have survived from the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. *Birch bark knife handles are popular tools to be made currently. *In India, birch-bark, along with dried palm leaves, were the primary writing supports before the widespread advent of paper in the second millennium CE. The oldest known Buddhist manuscripts (some of the Gandharan Buddhist Texts), from
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
, were written on birch bark. *Neanderthals used birch bark to make a tar adhesive through the process of dry or destructive distillation. Birch bark also makes an outstanding
tinder Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder i ...
, as the inner layers will stay dry even through heavy rainstorms.


Medical uses

Birch bark, sold under the brand name Filsuvez, is a medication that is used to treat epidermolysis bullosa (EB). The most common side effects with Filsuvez include wound complications. Other common side effects include skin reactions at the application site, wound infections, pruritus (itching), and hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions. Epidermolysis bullosa is an inherited disease of the skin that makes the skin very fragile and causes severe blistering and scarring. Filsuvez is used in two types of epidermolysis bullosa, dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and junctional epidermolysis bullosa, to treat partial-thickness skin wounds. These are wounds where the upper layers of the skin have been damaged. Filsuvez is
indicated In medicine, an indication is a valid reason to use a certain test, medication, procedure, or surgery. There can be multiple indications to use a procedure or medication. An indication can commonly be confused with the term diagnosis. A diagnosi ...
for the treatment of partial thickness wounds associated with dystrophic and junctional epidermolysis bullosa (EB) in people aged six months of age and older.


Legal status

On 22 April 2022, the
Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), formerly known as Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP), is the European Medicines Agency's committee responsible for elaborating the agency's opinions on all issues regardin ...
(CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Filsuvez, intended for the treatment of epidermolysis bullosa (EB). The applicant for this medicinal product is Amryt Pharmaceuticals DAC. Filsuvez will be available as a gel for cutaneous use. The active substance of Filsuvez is birch bark extract (as dry extract, refined) from '' Betula pendula'' Roth/''
Betula pubescens ''Betula pubescens'' (syn. ''Betula alba''), commonly known as downy birch and also as moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch, is a species of deciduous tree, native and abundant throughout northern Europe and northern As ...
'' Ehrh. (equivalent to 0.5‑1.0 g birch bark), including 84‑95 mg triterpenes calculated as the sum of betulin, betulinic acid, erythrodiol, lupeol and oleanolic acid. It is thought to work by modulating inflammatory mediators and stimulating keratinocyte differentiation and migration, thereby promoting wound healing and closure. Text was copied from this source which is copyright European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged. Filsuvez was approved for medical use in the European Union in June 2022. Text was copied from this source which is copyright European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged.


See also

* Mazinibaganjigan * Wiigwaasabak * Wiigwaasi-makak * Magewappa * Lapti


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links


Birchbark articles
from the '' NativeTech'' site.
Birch and Birch Bark
an article by John Zasada at a University of Minnesota site.
Birch Bark Canoe
page on the site of the Algonquins of Pikwàganagàn.
César's Bark Canoe
��Watch a documentary on how to build a Birch bark canoe
Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Digital Image Collection
at Marquette University; keyword: birch bark.
Wiigwaasi-Jiimaan: These Canoes Carry Culture
��Short documentary featuring the building of an Anishinaabe-Ojibwe birchbark canoe in Wisconsin. * * {{Portal bar , Medicine Writing media Non-timber forest products Native American ethnobotany Combination drugs Orphan drugs