Birch bark facts for kids

A Russian birch bark letter (14th century).

Birch bark or birchbark is usually the bark of the paper birch tree or sometimes of similar trees such as gray (wire) birch.

Birch bark is useful because it is strong and water-resistant. It is similar in some ways to cardboard. And can be easily cut, bent and sewn. Because of this it has been very valuable for building, crafting, and writing material ever since ancient times. Birch bark also contains substances that are used in medicines and chemicals.

Uses

Finnish fishing net weights made out of birch bark and stones.

Birch bark was valuable throughout the world where birch trees were available:

• In North America, the native people used birch bark for canoes and wigwams and more.
• In Scandinavia and Finland, it had many uses, including roofs, boxes, casks and buckets.
• In Russia, many birch bark documents have survived from the Middle Ages.
• In the Indian civilisation birch-bark, along with dried palm leaves, replaced parchment for writing.

Birch bark is can also be used as a tinder. It is very good tinder as the inner layers will stay dry even through heavy rainstorms. To make birch bark useless as tinder, it must be soaked in water for a very long time.

Images for kids

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  Birchbark shoes

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  Birchbark box with lid and bottom of birch wood

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  Contemporary quillwork design on birch bark, by Ferdy Goode

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  A birch bark longhouse on Whitefish Island in Canada

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  North American birchbark canoe

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  Birchbark knife handle