We are constantly looking for logs
and trees > 60 cm Øme > 60 cm Ø
Tree species: birch
Color: white to cream-colored, with age a reddish-brown false core may form
Hardness: hard and dense (similar to maple)
Characteristics: fine even-textured wood, tough and elastic.
Heartwood formation: the birch is considered a sapwood tree (or tree with delayed heartwood formation), so it does not form true heartwood.
Psychological correspondence: the birch is a pioneer tree with a cheerful uplifting, inspiring appearance through its white/black bark.The birch is a symbol of new beginnings, youth, joy, growth and love. Whole birch trunks fit well as maypoles and used to be placed in front of the beloved's house as a marriage proposal. Birch embodies the feminine principle, but despite its graceful appearance, it is a very tough woody plant that survives in harsh conditions.
Properties/Use: Furniture making, veneer wood, plywood, parquet flooring, wood turning, wood carving, handicrafts, sports equipment, musical instruments, brush u. Brush industry, "pole wood" in the copper refinery, food barrels, boxes, Wagner wood, wagon construction, aircraft construction, vehicle construction, skis/sled runners, sewing thread spools, wheel teeth, wooden nails, tool styles, clothespins, home and kitchen utensils, toys, wooden shoes, shoe heels, canoe construction (bark use by the Indians), leather substitute ...
(PS: The birch buds and young leaves are edible, for example in salad. The sap of the birch is sugary and can be found in various cosmetic and wellness products. Birch sugar or xylitol looks like white granulated sugar, but is low in calories).
Value/availability: good availability (especially in Northern Europe)
Cutting time in arboriculture: in summer (from about May to August), after full leaf emergence
Seclusion behavior: poor
Pruning and wound closure: according to current guideline ZTV Baumpflege, before branch ring up to (as far as possible) max. 10 cm diameter, no wound closure (as ineffective).
Sources of the information:
- My own experience/knowledge and documents from my wood economics studies at the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences.
- Native timber (loose-leaf collection) Authors D. Grosser and W. Teetz. CMA, Bonn-publisher -Holzabsatzfonds-Bonn 1998
- Book Volker Drolshagen/Karin Hoffmann: The Language of Trees (1997)
- Website https://www.everyday-feng-shui.de