Birch is a very useful tree. the bark can be used to make all sorts of useful items. one is fire. birch bark is full of oils that light easily. depending on your method of ignition, you need to collect a good handful of the top layers of bark. you don't have to cut into the bark, just peel the part that is hanging off.
if you are using a lighter or matches, you can just roll the pieces of bark up and light them and put them in your prepared fire lay. If you use a fire steel, you want to collect the very fine bark that is right up against the tree. i don't know the fancy word for it, i just know it is really thin and i can usually get a flame with one strike of the rod.
i don't know about the rest of the country, but in my area about the only place you see birch naturally is along river/creek banks. so, it may or may not be useful. it is just another bit of info stored in the memory bank for that day you may need it. next weekend i will try to do a post on getting fire from a tree that grow nearly everywhere.
God bless,
Wildcat
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