SOURCE SHELTER, FOOD AND FIRE UP NORTH

SURVIVAL TREES OF NORTHERN CLIMATES

- REUBEN BOLIEU

As a world traveler, I’ve come to accept that every beautiful place has a certain degree of danger that coexists with its wonders. An ordinary camping trip or backcountry adventure in the Pacific Northwest could easily turn into a battle between life and death because of the simple act of picking and eating the wrong berry, mushroom or flower.

BAD INFORMATION

For years, I’ve been frustrated by bad or misleading references for identifying trees and plants. Photos of plants, berries, flowers and trees are sometimes inaccurate or of poor quality. Sketches from old books show the bark of a tree but not the leaves—or the leaves but not the bark, which is useless in fall and winter, when leaves are scarce. Some books and field guides have only one photo of the tree, plant or flower in full bloom during their showiest time of the year. However, as a person studying plant and tree identification to aid in foraging, this can go beyond frustrating and approach dangerous. My journey down this path has become—like anything else I aspire to master—a lifelong study, with no graduation day!

The information here is the smallest drop in the ocean of data on plant, tree and berry identification, but it’s a good drop. It pertains to the most common, easy-to-identify, yet useful, items found in the Pacific Northwest, as well as many parts of the northern forests of Scandinavia and Russia. Most of this information will pertain to materials that can be used for fire, shelter and camp crafts because, for me, food is the lowest priority in a survival situation.

That said, there are many natural “snacks” on the vine that don’t require hunting or trapping and can supplement your supplies and onboard reserves.

COTTONWOOD