Most hikers and campers often wonder how many calories are in a tree. Why? This is because they never know when they might face a crisis in the wild that requires them to live off of trees! So, before you go camping in an abandoned place, note down the calorie counts of a tree.
Most trees have, on average, 20 to 40 calories per ounce. It is 400 to 500 in the bark. For a whole tree, it can range from around 160000 to 164000. To know which bark to consume for calories, keep on reading!
How Many Calories Are in A Tree?
Depending on the size, species, and health of the tree calories in a tree can vary. Generally, a healthy tree should contain 400 to 800 calories per pound. On average, a mature plant has 163736 calories.
For survival situation, it is better to know how many calories are in 100g of wood. As 1 gram of wood has less than 0 kilo calories, 100 grams of log approximately has 100 k.calories.
Trees also can release calories from burning wood. If a tree stores 15MJ or 3585 calories per kg of its wood, then burning 10 kg of the wood would burn 35835443 calories.
How Many Calories Does A Tree Use?
Trees use most of their calories in the transpiration process or to evaporate water. If it has 25000 calories, it uses almost 20000 calories to transfer water into all of its branches.
From the rest of the calories, it requires 4500 calories of light energy for photosynthesis. And the stored energy is almost 200 calories. Watch it know more about stored calories:
Can You Eat Tree Bark to Gain Calories?
Not all tree barks are edible. If you want to create an outline of edible barks, research online on poisonous and nontoxic trees. It will help you if you ever get stuck in a situation and require survival food.
Eating 1 pound of cambium layer provides you with almost 400-500 calories. Inner barks or layers of trees are a good choice for calorie intake. Because they contain starches, sugar, and vitamins.
What Are the Edible Tree Barks that Provide Calories?
Among the Sapmi inhabitants of Northern Europe tree, the bark is a source of energy. They often peel off the layers of edible bark and store them to eat later. If you want to consume tree layers, follow the list –
- Pine tree cambium layers are edible, thereby, many Swedish and Norwegian consume them to gain calories.
- If you are in a temperate region, look for Birch trees that have papery and thin bark. They are a bit sweet in taste.
- Hardwood slippery gray or red elm tree barks have medicinal benefits.
- Avoid peeling off Pacific Yew, Wild Cherry, and Eucalyptus tree bark, as they are toxic.
Ensure to watch it in order to identify edible trees:
How to Consume Tree Barks to Gain Calorie Intake?
Once you peel off the cream-colored cambium layer after removing the outer gray bark, now you may hesitate to eat it, especially if you have never tried it before. In that case, follow the procedures below:
1. Boil the Bark
Boiling tree barks break down its nutrients into digestible units. It will help you to get efficient calories. So, by taking assistance from a pot and water, ensure to make fine strips of bark.
Place them in the pot with water. Boil them until they look like boiled pasta. Then drink the boiled water and chew the barks.
2. Make Bark Flour
The Native Americans make bread and cookies from tree bark flour. So, if you are in the wild and need some calories to go on, make bark flours.
First, cut off the layers and toast them slightly over the fire or saute them in oil. Then, clean the rock and grind the bark into powder. Now you can make cookies from it with a bit of water.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q’s):
Do All Trees Use Calories To Thrive?
If the tree is healthy, it uses its light energy calories to make its food and transfer nutrients. However, dead plants do not convert calories.
Do All Parts of the Tree Have the Same Calories?
No. Leaves, trunk layers, and barks have different amounts of calories. They store and release the calories differently so their calorie amount varies.
Is It Safe to Consume Tree Bark?
As long as you consume the edible bark, you are safe! But toxic barks can kill you. And the deeper layers of bark are not edible.
Conclusion
How many calories are in a tree is a growing concern among wildlife campers. If you are one of them, I hope this guide can help you out with your queries. Before eating any bark, make sure they are non-toxic and non-allergic to you.
I’d highly recommend you consume edible bark by boiling or frying. Because raw barks are hard to chew and digest. And you may lose calories doing so.