170 



Forests and Trees 



i. WHITE BIRCH. Betula alba, Linnaeus, var. papyrifera. 



This is the canoe or paper birch of the northern woods and is 

 the most widely spread of all in its range. 



It is a graceful tree, sometimes of considerable size, and easily 

 distinguished by the bark. This is usually smooth, and on 

 young stems is reddish- brown, but as the stem gets older it 

 becomes a bright white on the outside, remaining yellow or 

 orange beneath the surface. The outer bark peels off in thin 

 layers, making the birch bark which is put to such a variety of 

 uses. The Indian's birch-bark canoe is known to the world, 

 but it has many other uses not so well 

 known. 



The wood is hard and strong and is 

 much used for spools, handles of tools 

 and furniture. It is also highly valued 

 as fuel, the oil which it contains making 

 it burn freely even when green. 



The canoe birch is found across 

 Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the 

 Pacific and northward to the mouth of 

 the Mackenzie river. It shares with the 

 poplar and bird cherry the distinction 

 of being the first tree to take possession 

 of land over which fire has recently run, and only the black and 

 white spruce and tamarack grow as far north. It varies greatly 

 in different parts of its wide range, the various forms being 

 frequently known by distinct names, for example: "The British 

 Columbia form has much shorter and thicker leaves and a very 

 different bark, so that it may be a distinct variety, and in that 

 case should appear under Lyall's name." MACOUN. 



As a cultivated tree it is graceful, and is sometimes spoken 

 of as the most ladylike of all our trees. It prefers light soil 

 and grows rapidly at first, but does not seem to live long. 



FIG. 32. White Birch. 



