The fascinating ancestral uses, knowledge and medicinal benefits of trees range widely. We have chosen some of our favourites to share with you based on our own day-to-day findings, as well as the notable research and studies done by forestry professionals.*
Western Red Cedar
This tree has been called the cornerstone of Northwest Coast aboriginal culture and has great spiritual significance. When felled, all parts of the tree can be used. Because of its resistance to decay, bacteria and insect invasions, a fallen cedar remains intact and salvageable for use for over 100 years. The wood is typically used for house planks, canoes, paddles, boxes and tools.
Notice when you break apart a leaf or scratch the bark of a red cedar how aromatic it is, due to the quick release of its essential oil. This oil is a natural repellent, protecting the tree as it grows. Indigenous tribes used the bark for clothing, ropes and baskets and found various medicinal uses, mainly as an antifungal treatment. Cedar leaves could be boiled down to make salves or tinctures, to rub externally on fungal infections on the body to help cure them. The leaves were also boiled, and steam treatments from the infused cedar water effectively promoted a healthy respiratory system.
Western White Pine
This tree species typically grows in closed groupings of trees. When the trees are young, the bark is thick and smooth, though as it ages, it darkens and forms deep vertical grooves. Western white pines are commonly found in drier parts of Vancouver Island, the coastline and the southern interior.
The wood from this tree is ideal for carving because of its fine grain and unique construction projects due to its uniform texture.
This tree had limited medicinal uses; however, the inner bark and sap were once used to treat respiratory-based illnesses through ointments and tea.
Western Larch
These beautiful trees are most popular in fall when they turn brilliant shades of gold. They can grow up to 80 meters in height and 850 years old. They grow in clusters in valleys and lower mountain slopes in the southern Interior of BC. They grow in clusters and mixed forests, multiplying quickly as they flourish in full sunlight. The wood from this tree is one of the strongest in Canada and is used in heavy construction projects, including many railroads across the country.
The thick bark and pattern of shedding lower limbs make this tree resistant to forest fires.
Historically among various local tribes, for medicinal purposes, the gum extracted from under the bark was used for dressing cuts and bruises. The bark could be boiled into a tea infusion and used to treat coughs and colds. A concentrate of the sap (having been boiled down) was used to wash wounds, and the gummy sap was chewed to relieve a sore throat. Dried resin mixed with grease was also used to make cosmetics or red paint.
Sitka Spruce
Found all over the Nectar property and commonly found in the coastal fog belt and wetter areas, where the forest floor is thick with mosses and deer ferns. This tree is known for having wider trunks at full maturity. The largest known of its species is 93 meters tall and 5 meters wide.
Indigenous tribes living on the coast used many parts of the Sitka spruce. From their roots, they created watertight baskets and hats, ropes, fishing lines, and twine for sewing. Eating the inner bark or young tree shoots as a source of Vitamin C The resin has many uses, including chewing gum, and was traditionally used for caulking canoes. The resin is a diuretic (which expels excess sodium from the body) and an antiseptic (which cleans); thus was used for skin irritants such as burns, wounds, infections, and sores. The inner bark was also consumed and used to treat colds, sore throats, and toothaches.
The wood from this tree is valuable, as it is light, soft, and flexible, yet solid and durable. It also contains impressive acoustic properties, making it ideal for building instruments such as pianos, guitars and violins.
Douglas Fir
There are two varieties of this tree, coastal and interior. Respectively, they are found in their namesakes' areas of the province. The Interior variety grows in various habitats, including wetlands and open forests. The Coastal type grows well alongside western redcedar, grand firs and hemlocks, with forest floors abundant in sword fern supporting them. Like the Western White Pine, the bark becomes dark with age and deeply grooved with ridges.
The wood from Douglas fir is dense and durable, making it highly valuable to exported lumber since the 18th century. Indigenous tribes in the southern parts of BC used the boughs for handles and fishing hooks and covered the floors of lodges and sweat lodges. The limbs were also commonly used for cooking fires.
The resin from the trunk has antiseptic properties and can be used for various skin ailments, including cuts, scrapes, burns, and others. The resin can also be chewed like gum and used to treat cold symptoms like a sore throat or cough. Twigs and shoots are also known to have medicinal properties.
Douglas-firs serve more purposes than just standing as a Christmas tree. A historical medicinal use is evergreen tree tip tea. The tea has a citrus-pine flavour and is extremely hydrating and revitalizing. This tea is an excellent source of vitamin C, and for the best flavour, Douglas-fir tips should be harvested in the springtime.
