Japanese yew (Taxus media) - If allowed to grow unclipped this evergreen becomes 
     
     a small tree whose soft green needles and red berries are attractive to 
     
     birds. Yews do well even in shady areas with good soil moisture. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Phitzer juniper (Juniperus chinensis phitzeriana) - This wide spreading shrub 
     
     provides excellent cover near the ground, and the female plants produce 
     
    
   
   
    
     berries that are food for many birds. Junipers tolerate dry, sunny 
     
     conditions well. 
     
    
   
   
    
     THE HIDDEN VALUE OF OUR FORESTS 
     
    
   
   
    
     by Ken Mayhew, Charlottetown 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     The next time you go for a walk through the woods, try to imagine life 100 
     
     years ago when the forest was your supermarket providing groceries, medicinal 
     
     drugs, dyes, fabrics, fuel and building supplies. 
     
    

    
     It seems these days that we have lost most of the ability to find and use 
     
     these gifts. This article has been written in hopes of heightening your aware- 
     
     ness of this valued resource. So let’s take a look at what was and still can 
     
     be obtained from the trees in P.E.I.'s forests. 
     
    

    
     Of course the first concern of any self respecting settler was to secure 
     
     a stable fbod supply. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) sap was a means of obtaining 
     
     sugar. This sugar was made by collecting sap and boiling it to produce syrup 
     
     and hard candy, both of which could be stored for long periods of time. 
     
    

    
     The berries of various trees such as Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) and 
     
     Mountain Ash (Sorbus) could be used in the preparation of jams and jellies. 
     
    

    
     A note here though, the twigs and leaves of all_cherries contain a cyanide 
     
     releasing compound which can be fatal if eaten. 
     
    

    
     Beech (Fagus grandifplia) and Beaked Hazel-Nut (Corylus cornuta) were used as 
     
     a source of edible nuts, while Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) male cones were 
     
     boiled to remove the resin and then eaten. 
     
    

    
     The medicinal properties of various trees were not overlooked either. White 
     
     Edne (Pinus strobus) and Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) sap had antiseptic and 
     
     healing properties. Yellow Birch (Betula allaghaniensis) sap was boiled down 
     
     and used as a very strong laxative. 
     
    

    
     Medicinal drinks, such as a cure for scurvy were obtained from White Cedar 
     
     (Thuja occidentalis) needles. Spruce (Picea) needles were brewed with honey, 
     
     molasses or maple sugar and fermented to produce spruce beer. While it is of 
     
     doubtful medicinal value, it was prescribed quite frequently and no doubt was 
     
     used to relieve the blues of our long Island winters. 
     
    

    
     Dyes were obtained from boiling the bark of Alder (Alnus) and Mountain 
     
     Maple (Acer spicatum). Tannin fbr tanning leather was made from Hemlock (Tsuga 
     
     canadensis) and Larch (Larix laricina) bark. 
     
    

    
     Some of the more ingenious uses of natural products were drying Beech leaves 
     
     and using them as mattress fillers, as they are very springy when dry. White 
     
     Spruce (Picea glauca) roots were so pliable that they were used to lace birch 
     
     bark to the sides of canoes. 
     
    

    
     The list goes on and on and, if forest shrubs and ground plants were 
     
     included, that list would appear endless. While Yellow Birch sap probably won't 
     
     replace Exlax it is nice to know we do have a choice, 
     
    
   
   
    
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