THE BIRCHES 



361 



kinds of birch wood, but the Yellow Birch contributes the greater part. 

 The Paper Birch, also known as Canoe Birch and White Birch, is also 

 a tree of the Northwoods. It is called Paper Birch because the bark 

 peels ofif in thin, paper-like scales. The name White Birch refers to the 

 white color of its bark, and the name Canoe Birch was given to it 

 because the Indians and early settlers used this tree in the building of 

 canoes. 



It grows as far north as Arctic British America, extends east to Lab- 

 rador, south to Michigan and Pennsylvania, and reaches west nearly to 

 the base of the Rocky Mountains. Some believe that the white-barked 

 birch tree of Alaska is simply a variety of the Paper Birch. If this be 

 true, the Paper Birch is a trans-continental tree with a range of at least 

 one million square miles. It is very abundant in the great forest regions 

 of Minnesota and the northern United States where it frequents the 

 banks of lakes and rivers and is regarded as one of our most beautiful 

 and characteristic trees. 



The Paper Birch is one of the best known trees in range. Every 



school boy 

 and girl 

 knows that 

 the bark of 

 this tree was 

 used in the 

 building o f 

 canoes by the 

 Indians and 

 early settlers, 

 and everyone 

 who has had 

 the privilege 

 o f roaming 

 through the 

 N o rthwoods 

 will forever 

 remember 

 its chalky and 

 creamy white 

 bark which 

 peels off in 

 thin, film-like, 

 papery scales. 

 In addition to 

 its white and 

 loose bark, it 

 may be recog- 

 nized by its 



THE YELLOW BIRCH CAN ALWAYS BE 

 DISTINGUISHED BY ITS DISTINCTLY 

 broadly oval YELLOW BARK WHICH PEELS OFF IN 

 leaves with THIN, RAGGED, FILM - LIKE LAYERS. 



short. 



THIS BARK IS OFTEN USED BY 

 CAMPERS TO START CAMP FIRES ON 



WET DAYS 



A YELLOW BIRCH THAT BEGAN ITS LIFE UPON A 

 FALLEN TREE TRUNK. AFTER THE SEEDS GERMI- 

 NATED IT SENT DOWN ROOTS ON THE SIDES OF THE 

 LOGS UNTIL THEY REACHED THE GROUND AND 

 THUS THE TREE ESTABLISHED ITSELF AND NOW 

 CONTINUES TO GROW 



stou; 



leaf - stalks. 



The fruit spikes are short-stalked, cylindrical, and usu- 

 ally droop; while those of the other birches, as a rule, 

 stand erect. 



Not so large a number of specimens of Canoe Birch 

 can be found as of the White Birch, but it reaches a 

 larger size, produces better wood, and is far more at- 

 tractive. The quantity of Paper Birch that still remains 

 is unknown, but it probably exceeds that of any other 



