Paper New York Winter 2014

[Lara Preece]

Thefig (Ficus carica) has long been a favorite Brooklyn garden tree, especially beloved by Italian families who immigrated to the borough in the early 20th century. Native to the Mediterranean, figs are marginally hardy here and may not survive winter in New York City unless they are protected. Although some planting tricks (such as planting your fig against a south-facing wall) can help figs survive most winters without extra care, wrapping them in layers of burlap and fallen leaves in late autumn or early winter will keep them from dying back too severely during a cold winter.

After BBG's fig trees suffered complete dieback to the ground two winters in a row a while back, we began using this technique for the specimens in the Herb Garden, with good results for the past few years. Home gardeners can follow these protective steps for backyard fig trees. Having a partner to work with will make things easier.

Step One: Prune any stems that are crossing, rubbing together, or growing horizontally. If your tree is very tall, you can remove older, taller stems to favor shorter, younger ones. Use jute twine to gather stems into an upright bundle. Wrap the stem bundle in a layer of burlap and secure it with jute twine.

Step Three: Wrap a layer of tar paper or roofing felt around the chicken wire frame, securing it with tape or staples. This material will repel water and still allow some air circulation. Wrap the paper with the marked lines facing outward.

Step Four: Fill the wrapped frame with shredded leaves. Note: if you have a large tree, it may be easiest to do the chicken wire, tar paper, and leaf filling in stages, working up the tree from the bottom. Layer the paper like roofing shingles to keep water out.

Step Five: When the tree is wrapped and filled with leaves, taper the sides in by cutting or folding the tar paper so that the top of the frame is narrow enough to be covered with an upside-down bucket. When you cover the frame, make sure the top layer of the tar paper is tucked within the bucket to prevent water from leaking in.

The common name derives from the distinctive white bark, which peels off in paper-like layers. This tree is also known as White Birch, Silver Birch, Paperbark Birch, and Canoe Birch. The latter name reflects the use of its bark by native Americans to make canoes.

Paper Birch trees feature a distinctive white bark. The bark of young Paper Birch trees is brownish, but begins to turn white when the tree is about a decade old. The white bark develops paper-like layers. Beneath the loose paper, the tree's inner bark is creamy to pinkish or orangish white. The tree may have dark triangular markings (or chevrons) where the branches have died and fallen off.

The leaves of Paper Birch trees are green in summer, turning yellow in fall. The alternateAlternate: An arrangement of leaves (or buds) on a stem (or twig) in which the leaves emerge from the stem one at a time. This often makes the leaves appear to alternate on the stem. leaves are 2 to 5 inches long and one to three inches wide. They are roughly oval in shape, with tapering tips and edges which are double-toothedToothed: Leaves which have a saw-toothed edge. Single-toothed leaves have only a single set of teeth. Double-toothed leaves have teeth with each tooth having smaller serrations on it..

The tiny flowers, borne on catkins, appear in April or May, before or at the same time as the leaves emerge. The yellowish male flowers stand on long, dropping catkins near the twig tip. The green or red female flowers blossom on short, upright catkins father back on the same twig.

The Paper Birch tree's distinctive peeling bark is the main clue to distinguishing it from other deciduous trees in the Adirondacks. The main difficulty is differentiating Paper Birch from Yellow Birch.

Paper Birch is used primarily for specialty products such as ice cream sticks, toothpicks, bobbins, clothespins, spools, broom handles, and toys. The bark is also used by crafters to create decorative items. The handsome foliage and showy white bark make the trees attractive for landscaping.

Paper Birch can be tapped in the spring to obtain sap from which syrup, wine, beer, or medicinal tonics can be made. Birch syrup is produced commercially in Alaska and Canada. Sap flow season for birch trees begins when the sap flow in Sugar Maples is coming to an end, allowing sugarmakers to use their existing equipment to produce another valuable crop of birch syrup at the close of maple season. Birch syrup contains lower sugar concentrations than that derived from Sugar Maple and is more acidic. Birch syrup has a caramel-like taste and is used in sauces and glazes.

Paper Birch trees were used by a wide variety of native American tribes in many different ways. Many groups used the plant for medicinal purposes. It was used as a remedy for a wide variety of ailments, including burns, rashes, stomach cramps, dysentery, teething, colds, and coughs. Paper Birch was also widely used as a food. Several native American groups used the sap to make syrup. Others made a tea substitute with the root bark.

The tree had a wide variety of uses as a building material. Paper Birch was used to make canoes and as a building material for walls and roofing. The bark was also widely used to construct containers and waterproof wrappings. The inner bark was employed as a dye. Bark was also used to make hats and baby cradles. The wood was used to make cooking tools such as bowls and spoons, canoe paddles, toboggans, and snowshoes.

Paper Birch trees are an important browse plant for some animals. Snowshoe Hares, Moose, Eastern Cottontail, Beaver, and Porcupines eat the twigs or bark. Red Squirrels feed on the catkins. Where winter food is inadequate, Paper Birch trees are also browsed by White-tailed Deer. This tree is the larval host for the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Luna Moth, and Mourning Cloak.

Paper Birch is native in northern North America. This species is widely distributed from northwestern Alaska, east across Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, south to Pennsylvania and Iowa and in the western states to Montana and northeastern Oregon.

In New York State, the Paper Birch is found in most of the eastern counties, including the Catskills and the Adirondack Mountains. It is one of the most abundant hardwoods in the Adirondacks High Peaks region.

Paper Birch is classified as a Facultative Upland (FACU) plant, meaning that it usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands. It is a northern species adapted to cold climates and short growing seasons. This species is commonly found in mixed hardwood-conifer forests, but may form nearly pure stands where they pioneer areas disturbed by fires or logging. This tree grows best in the areas where average summer temperatures are not above 70 degrees. The tree does not perform well in harsh conditions or heat and is not tolerant of pollution.

Paper Birch is most abundant in disturbed areas, on sites recovering from burns, blowdowns, logging,and other disturbances, manmade and natural. On the Forest Ecosystem Research and Demonstration Area (FERDA) plots at the Paul Smiths VIC, Paper Birch increased in abundance in both the shelterwood and clear cut blocks a decade after the cuts. The Paper Birch is also a common pioneer species on old fields. It usually lasts only one generation, before giving way to more shade-tolerant species.

Look for Paper Birch along many trails throughout the Adirondack Park. Paper Birch trees, like most other deciduous trees in the Adirondacks, prefer relatively well-drained soils. In contrast to Black Spruce and Tamaracks, Paper Birch trees do not grow in the middle of bogs or on very wet marsh edges. You will often find Paper Birch trees growing near Eastern Hemlock, Balsam Fir, and Hobblebush. Wildflowers often observed growing on the forest floor include Wild Sarsaparilla, Canada Mayflower, and Twinflower.

L. O. Safford, John C. Bjorkbom, and John C. Zasada, "Betula papyrifera Marsh. Paper Birch," in Russell M. Burns and Barbara H. Honkala (Technical Coordinators), Silvics of North America: Hardwoods. Agriculture Handbook 654. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC. Volume 2. Retrieved 24 January 2020.

Mark J. Twery, et al. Changes in Abundance of Vascular Plants under Varying Silvicultural Systems at the Forest Ecosystem Research and Demonstration Area, Paul Smiths, New York. USDA Forest Service. Research Note NRS-169. Retrieved 22 January 2017.

New York State. Adirondack Park Agency. Preliminary List of Species Native Within the Adirondack Park Listed Alphabetically by Scientific Name and Sorted by Habit. Volume 1. Updated 10.23.2006. Retrieved 26 January 2017.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Birds of North America. Subscription Web Site. Mourning Warbler, Veery, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-Shouldered Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Whip-poor-will, Northern Goshawk, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Black-capped Chickadee. Retrieved 29 March 2019.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. All About Birds. Black-capped Chickadee, Black-throated Green Warblers, Common Redpoll, Eastern Whip-poor-will, Fox Sparrow, Mourning Warbler, Northern Goshawk, Philadelphia Vireo, Pine Siskin, Red-shouldered Hawk, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Veery, Yellow-belled Sapsucker. Retrieved 29 March 2019.

Think winter is the worst time for produce? Think again. A bountiful array of fruits and vegetables are at their most flavorful in the colder months of the year, and many of the fruits and veggies that we typically associate with fall continue their seasons well into winter. Read on for the full list of winter fruits and veggies, along with recipes to try them in.

The papery skins of these aromatics help the flavorful bulbs withstand long storage times. They are a boon in winter, when they can be roasted or caramelized for tasty pizza garnishes, bread toppings, and quesadilla fillings.

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