Paper birch, commonly called white birch or canoe birch in Quebec, is a variety of birch whose bark peels off easily in strips. This bark was widely used by Indigenous peoples for making birchbark canoes, cooking utensils, shelter thatching, and more.
In fact, it is currently used to make certain types of paper pulp; it is also a fairly good quality firewood.
Its inner bark is also edible. It must be dried and then ground into flour. This flour can then be used to make bread or pancakes and to thicken soup. It can also be cut into long strips and boiled to make birch noodles. It can also be eaten raw. The young shoots make a good tea, effective against cellulite, fever, and arthritis.
Its leaves have sharp, irregular, double teeth along the edges. Their upper surface is matte green, and their underside is paler. The leaf has 5 to 9 pairs of lateral veins.
Its flowers are grouped in elongated catkins.
Finally, its fruit is a nutlet. Several nutlets are found within an elongated, drooping, stalked cone, resembling the cones of conifers.
Like the sugar maple, it can be tapped in the spring to make birch syrup. Its sap flows abundantly, but its sugar content is low.
When exposed to sunlight, the sap quickly turns into vinegar.
Source: https://afsq.org/information-foret/nos-arbres/bouleau-a-papier/
