The Hidden Benefits of Trees

Eastern Hop-Hornbeam

Ostrya virginiana

The most distinguishing feature of this tree is its fruit that resembles hops, a bitter flower commonly used in beer. 

The  Cherokee and Potowatomi  tribes commonly made medicines using the tree's heartwood.  These include a hot tea to treat lung hemorrhages, coughs and colds, and problems with the kidneys. They also used herbal steam to alleviate rheumatism.

Because the wood of this tree is exceptionally strong, it has been used by early settlers and first nation tribes for tool handles such as levers, axes, and mallets. This has led the tree to have another common name: Ironwood. Because it is such a strong wood, when used for bow making, it creates a bow with a stronger pull weight that supports a harder hitting arrow.

Red Oak

Quercus rubra

The Red Oak tree has two distinguishing parts used most for foods and remedies: the acorns and the bark.

First Nations commonly used the bark of this tree to create a powder that could be combined with other tree parts or plants for heart medicine. The bark and inner bark of the tree were also used to treat many other ailments, both internally and externally. The boiled bark was used to create a wash to treat and clean abrasions, burns, rashes, and other topical skin irritations. The inner bark was also used as a tea to help with indigestion or other digestive system ailments, severe coughs or throat irritation, and fevers. Learn more about medicinal uses by the  Ojibwa, Cherokee, and Chocktaw .

The acorns were used as a food source by many first nation tribes and early settlers.  They were ground into flour that could be used for baking or to create a thin porridge.  Acorns can also be eaten whole after being roasted.  Boiling the acorns with basswood ashes was a common practice for removing their bitter taste. 

The  Chocktaw, Chippewa, and Cherokee  also used the boiled bark and ashes from this tree to create dyes and to tan their leathers. Because the wood is strong, yet flexible, it was used for many different tools, such as bows, spears, and other tool handles. It is still used today for many craft items.

Shagbark Hickory

Carya ovata

One of the most distinct characteristics of this tree is its curled bark that looks like a shaggy dog’s fur curling away from itself. The  Chippewa and Iroquois  boiled the bark to make an infusion that can be applied to skin with a warm cloth for arthritis relief. They also used the small shoots from the tree to treat headaches.  Oil was also extracted from the nut and mixed with bear grease to make a bug repellent.

Many  First Nations  and early settlers used the nuts for baking desserts and bread, or creating soups and baby food.  The nuts from this tree are naturally sweet and were often eaten lightly roasted as a snack. The sap was also used as a sweetener after being boiled to a syrup-like consistency.  

The tree's wood is extremely efficient wood to burn and produces a high quality and flavorful charcoal that was historically used to smoke meats, a tradition that lasts to this day. The strong wood is also ideal for use in tool creation. In addition, the flexibility of the sapwood made it an ideal bow stave material.

Basswood

Tilia americana

The name Basswood originates from fibers in the inner bark of the tree, known as bast, which are the longest and strongest continuous fibers of any North American tree. However, another common name for this tree is the American Linden, named after the linden flowers the tree produces. These flowers were widely used for their medicinal properties, which have been found to contain antioxidant and astringent chemicals.

The  Cherokee and Iroquois  used many parts of the tree to treat their ailments. The bark was often boiled and added to corn-meal to create a warm compress that soothed skin boils.  Both tribes also used a compound created from the inner bark to treat dysentery and other stomach ailments.  The Cherokee also crafted a jelly from the tree that they used to treat coughs and consumption (an antiquated term for tuberculosis).  The flowers were used by early settlers up until the patent medicine era of the early 1900s by boiling them as a tea to be used as a sedative, cough syrup, or to relieve anxiety. 

Tough cord or thread can be made out of the bast of the tree by first boiling and then rubbing the fibers on a stick to separate them.  They were then spun or braided to form the thread and cord. For sewing, fibers were soaked in water until the outer tissues rotted away, leaving the smoother inner fibers.  The heartwood of this tree is lighter and softer than other trees, so it was less often used for tools.  However, the lighter coloring and ease of carving made it ideal for figurines and beads.  Today it is a common guitar body wood.

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

Indigenous peoples have been making maple syrup long before European settlers. Many tribes, like the  Ojibwe and Cherokee , also used the sap as a seasoning to cure meat. The Ojibwe tribe was also known to create maple candies that were traded to settlers for supplies throughout what is now Michigan and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It takes about 40 gallons of sugar maple sap to make just 1 gallon of syrup!  

Syrup made from the sap of this tree has also been used medicinally as a liver tonic, cough syrup, and even as a kidney cleanser. Tea was also made from the inner bark and used as a blood tonic, a type of drink thought to boost the amount of blood in the body and improve vitality.

Known for being a valuable hardwood tree in North America, the wood is commonly used in many recognizable items such as baseball bats, bowling pins, pool cues, and musical instruments.

American Beech

Fagus grandifolia

Unlike the other trees on this trail the American beech has extremely smooth bark.  This unfortunately makes it a common target for tree carving. 

Creosote, a dense charcoal tar, made from beech wood is used externally as a medicine for various skin conditions and sores. It is important to note that coal tar creosote, the kind used to protect wood from rots, is highly toxic to humans.

Beech wood is dense, but highly susceptible to rot, which limits its use for carpentry.  It is used for bentwood furniture, where steam is applied to the wood to bend it.  It was also used for veneer, plywood, baskets, pulp, charcoal, and rough lumber.  It is especially favored for fuelwood because of its high density and good burning qualities.

Beech mast (commonly referred to as beech nuts) is palatable to a large variety of birds and mammals.  Deer Mice, in particular, are very good at caching large stores for the winter.  Discarded beech nut shells on the snow would alert Native Americans to a hidden stash of nuts underground or inside a nearby log.  The  Potawatomi and Chippewa   relied upon these hidden caches for food in the winter.

Silver Maple

Acer saccharinum

The silver maple is now one of the most common trees in North America because its rapid growth made it popular in urban developments after World War II. Due to its abundance and its potential for disrupting pavements or plumbing, some cities are considering reducing the stock by using it as a source of biofuel.  

The  Ojibwe and Cherokee  created a cold infusion of the bark to help with cramps, dysentery, and hives. As a tea it was given to treat measles. The inner bark was also boiled and diluted with water as a soothing wash for sore eyes.

Like the Sugar Maple, many  First Nation people  also collected the sap of the Silver Maple for use as a sweetener.

This fast growing tree is a common source of cheap lumber that is commonly used for a variety of carpentry projects, from baskets to buildings. The bark infusion can also be mixed with parts of the white oak tree to make a rust remover.

Black Walnut

Juglans nigra

While the nut of the Black Walnut tree is not the same as the English walnuts you generally find in the store, they are still within the same family. When in the husk, these nuts are considered the fruit of the tree. In order to access the nut, you first remove the green outer layer and expose the shell beneath.

The  Cherokee  used juice from the husk of the walnut externally as a treatment for ringworm. They also chewed the light brown bark to relieve the pain of toothache and as a poultice to reduce the pain of headaches. However many first nation tribes were careful when using the bark of the tree for medicinal purposes because of its poisonous properties.

The wood of the tree is highly prized because of its beautiful dark color, strength, and durability. Because the wood can be kiln dried and easily shaped, it is ideal for a variety of woodworking projects, gun stocks, coffins, and high end furniture. The dried walnut shells are also commonly ground into a fine dust used for cleaning and sanding.

The husk produces brown stain (due to oxidation) that can be used as a wood stain, but will also stain clothing and skin if proper protection isn’t used. When boiled the husks will provide a yellow dye for fabric.