Edible Pine Tree Bark and Birch Bark

The inner bark of some common trees can be used as an emergency food.

Trees provide several sources of nourishment in the winter wilds, but they generally require more processing than greens and are not as palatable.



The barks that provide nourishment include pine, sweet (black) birch, spruce, hemlock (the evergreen, not the poisonous plant), and slippery elm. The edible portion is the inner bark, the soft, living layer between the protective outer bark and the hard wooden core. The inner bark is paper-thin, so a large surface area is required to provide a meal. Slippery elm bark peels away easily from the wood, and then the outer bark must be peeled from the inner bark. In the case of other trees, it may be easier to scrape off the outer bark first, then the inner bark. If possible, use a thick branch as your bark source to avoid injuring the main trunk. If it is necessary to use the trunk in an emergency, be sure not to girdle (cut all the way around) the tree, which would kill it.


Read more at Suite101: Winter Survival Foods: Bark, Roots, and Sap http://www.suite101.com/content/winter-survival-foods-a37905#ixzz190vJ3VFi

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[Mr420rush]

awesome vid :).